# Gurkha

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #70,724

## Definitions
1. A member of the dominant ethnic group in Nepal, with a Himalayan diaspora.
2. A member of this people recruited to serve in their own elite units in the British and Indian armies.

## Etymology
From Nepali गोर्खा (gorkhā, “inhabitant of Gorkha”), from गोरखा (gorakhā)/गोर्खा (gorkhā, “Gorkha District”), from Sanskrit गोरक्ष (gorakṣa, “cowherd”) an epithet of the patron deity Gorakhnath, from गो (go, “cow”) + रक्ष् (rakṣ, “protect”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gurkha