guerrilla

guerrilla, member of an irregular military force fighting small-scale, limited actions, in concert with an overall political-military strategy, against conventional military forces. Guerrilla tactics involve constantly shifting attack operations and include the use of sabotage and terrorism. A brief treatment of guerrilla warfare follows. For full treatment, see guerrilla warfare. The word guerrilla (the diminutive of Spanish guerra, “war”) was first used to describe the Spanish-Portuguese irregulars, or guerrilleros (also called partisans and insurgents), who...