marionettenleger

Dutch

Etymology

From marionet +‎ -en- +‎ leger, a calque from Mandarin 傀儡軍／傀儡军 (kuǐlěijūn, “puppet army”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maː.ri.oːˈnɛ.tə(n)ˌleː.ɣər/
• Hyphenation: ma‧ri‧o‧net‧ten‧le‧ger

Noun

marionettenleger n (plural marionettenlegers)

1. a puppet army [from ca. 1940]

Usage notes

Although it was originally used of the Japanese puppet army in China, in Dutch the term saw its primary use in communist discourse referring to the South Vietnamese army.