: a member of any of various European military units originally modeled on the Hungarian light cavalry of the 15th century
Did you know?
A hussar is a member of a European light-cavalry unit used for scouting; the hussars were modeled on the 15th-century Hungarian light-horse corps. The brilliantly colored Hungarian hussar’s uniform was imitated in other European armies; it consisted of a busby (high, cylindrical cloth cap), a jacket with heavy braiding, and a dolman (loose coat worn hanging from the left shoulder).
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebYet Conan Doyle was far prouder of his historical fiction, which included the exploits of the dashing Napoleonic hussar Brig. Stephen Brumwell, WSJ, 27 Apr. 2022 The jacket had a hussar’s collar and bracelet-length sleeves—the latter a signature of Jackie Kennedy, as many commentators observed. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2017
Word History
Etymology
Hungarian huszár hussar, (obsolete) highway robber, from Serbian & Croatian husar pirate, from Medieval Latin cursarius — more at corsair