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blitzkrieg

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A swift, sudden military offensive, usually by combined air and mobile land forces.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • verb to fight a quick and surprising war.
  • noun an overwhelming all-out attack with infantry, armor, and air forces, especially by surprise against an unprepared enemy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A fast, sudden military offensive, usually combining ground forces with air support.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a swift and violent military offensive with intensive aerial bombardment
  • verb fight a quick and surprising war

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German : Blitz, lightning (from Middle High German blitze, from bliczen, to flash, from Old High German blekkazzen; see bhel- in Indo-European roots) + Krieg, war (from Middle High German kriec, from Old High German krēg, stubbornness; see gwerə- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Borrowing from German Blitzkrieg.

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Examples

  • The Germans were the first to master this technique, which they called blitzkrieg or "lightning war."

    Titans of War: Tanks Reshape the Battlefield 2008

  • Incidentally, the German Wehrmacht never officially used the word blitzkrieg - literally, "lightning war" - though it did appear in several prewar German military publications.

    Wired Top Stories Tony Long 2011

  • It was the first large-scale attack on London, which would face similar attacks every day for the next two months as part of a Nazi campaign known as "the Blitz," an abbreviation of the German word blitzkrieg, or "lightning war."

    NYT > Home Page By THE LEARNING NETWORK 2011

  • If Blitzer's blitzkrieg is anything to go by, history will repeat itself.

    Blitzer: The loser's role 2008

  • "Blitz" is short for blitzkrieg, a German word coined in 1939 that means "lightning war."

    "Incent" incenses my senses doyle 2009

  • George "Your use of the word blitzkrieg shows either a total ignorance of military tactics or a total ignorance of exactly what the IDF did in Gaza and and what speed."

    On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009

  • Your use of the word blitzkrieg shows either a total ignorance of military tactics or a total ignorance of exactly what the IDF did in Gaza and and what speed. just Louise

    On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2009

  • "Blitz" is short for blitzkrieg, a German word coined in 1939 that means "lightning war."

    Archive 2009-02-01 doyle 2009

  • Incidentally, the German Wehrmacht never officially used the word blitzkrieg -- literally, "lightning war" -- though it did appear in several prewar German military publications.

    Wired Top Stories 2008

  • But while the word blitzkrieg, which literally means

    FOXNews.com 2010

Comments

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  • freericky commented on the word blitzkrieg

    Bop

    July 8, 2008

  • plethora commented on the word blitzkrieg

    *dances*

    July 8, 2008