Panzer

Leopard 2A5 of the German Army
Two Panzer IIIs during the Battle of Greece, April 1941

The word Panzer /ˈpænzər/ (German pronunciation: [ˈpantsɐ] ( listen)) is a German word that means "armour" or specifically "tank". It is occasionally used in English and some other languages as a loanword in the context of the German military.

It is mostly used in the proper names of military formations (Panzerdivision, 4th Panzer Army, etc.), and in the proper names of tanks, such as Panzer IV, etc.

The dated German term is Panzerkampfwagen, "tank" or "armoured combat vehicle". The modern commonly used synonym is Kampfpanzer, or Panzer). The first German tank, the A7V of 1918, was referred to as Sturmpanzerwagen (roughly, "armoured assault vehicle").

The German word Panzer refers to any kind of armour. It derives through the French word pancier, "breastplate", from Latin pantex, "belly", "paunch",[1] and is possibly related to panus, "swelling".[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Harper, Douglas. "panzer". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ↑ Harper, Douglas. "paunch". Online Etymology Dictionary.
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