Gendarme
Encyclopedia
A Gendarme is a member of a gendarmerie
; the word is often incorrectly used to refer to any French policeman or pikeman.
Gendarme can also mean:
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
; the word is often incorrectly used to refer to any French policeman or pikeman.
Gendarme can also mean:
- Gendarme (historical)Gendarme (historical)A gendarme was a heavy cavalryman of noble birth, primarily serving in the French army from the Late Medieval to the Early Modern periods of European History...
, (Gens d'arme) French medieval or early modern cavalryman - Gendarme (mountaineering)Gendarme (mountaineering)A Gendarme is a pinnacle of rock on a mountain ridge. They are typical of Alpine areas. Gendarmes often form on the intersection of two ridges due to the lower erosion of glaciers here. The name originates from the French Alps, where they were seen as resembling the gendarmerie police....
, an isolated pinnacle of rock on a mountain peak or ridge.