Meaning & use
Cossack
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Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
A member of a people from Ukraine and southern Russia who were known as free, self-governing horsemen and warriors.
Grammar: Has a plural: the Cossacks rode out at dawn.
Patterns
- a Cossack regiment
Stories about the Cossack on horseback fascinated the young historian.
Many Cossacks settled along the Don and Dnieper rivers.
A Cossack leader named in the chronicle rebelled against the king.
nouncountablemilitary
A soldier from a cavalry unit of the Russian imperial army, recruited from the Cossack communities.
Grammar: Used for military history: the Tsar sent Cossacks to guard the border.
Patterns
- Cossack cavalry
The Tsar's Cossacks patrolled the frontier for decades.
Napoleon's army feared the quick Cossack riders during the retreat.
A Cossack officer led the charge in the painting.
Word forms
| plural | Cossacks |
|---|
Common combinations
- a Cossack regiment
- A Cossack regiment guarded the bridge.
- Cossack cavalry
- Cossack cavalry harassed the retreating army.
- Cossack dance
- The festival ended with a lively Cossack dance.
- Ukrainian Cossacks
- Ukrainian Cossacks formed a powerful military society.
- Cossack hat
- He wore a tall fur Cossack hat in the snow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- horseman
- This is a general word for anyone who rides, whereas Cossack names a specific historical people and their military tradition.
- cavalryman
- This describes a soldier who fights on horseback in any army, while Cossack points to a particular ethnic and social background.
- frontiersman
- This describes a person living on a frontier in general, whereas a Cossack belonged to a defined community with its own customs.
Word family
- Cossackdom noun
- the Cossack world, people and way of life
- hetman noun
- a Cossack military leader
- Ukrainian adjective
- relating to Ukraine, where many Cossacks lived
Commonly confused: Cossack or Kossack?
Cossack vs Kossack
This is a rare misspelling; the standard English form is Cossack.
Practice
The painting shows a ___ on horseback, wearing a fur hat and carrying a sword on the plains of Ukraine.
Choose one answer.
Cossacks were horsemen from Ukraine and southern Russia. Spartans, Vikings and samurai belong to Greece, Scandinavia and Japan, so they do not fit the setting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Cossack”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.