commando: Meaning and Definition of

com•man•do

Pronunciation: (ku-man'dō, -män'-), [key]
— pl. -dos, -does.
  1. (in World War II)
    1. any of the specially trained Allied military units used for surprise, hit-and-run raids against Axis forces.
    2. a member of any of these units. Cf. ranger (def. 3).
  2. any military unit organized for operations similar to those of the commandos of World War II.
  3. a member of a military assault unit or team trained to operate quickly and aggressively in especially urgent, threatening situations, as against terrorists holding hostages.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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