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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Term “Military Raid” For a Quick Attack Come From and What Does the Word Raid Mean?

Where Did the Term “Military Raid” For a Quick Attack Come From and What Does the Word Raid Mean?

May 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

A sudden “raid” is usually over quickly, with the attackers strategically withdrawing as soon as their mission is completed.

It’s always a surprise attack.

Consider that the words road and rode both come from ride, as in horseback riding, and then consider that lightning-quick surprise attacks resulted from horsemen charging down a road.

Rade, “a riding, journey,” is the Old English and Scottish derivative word for raid.

When a hostile incursion came galloping down the road, the cry of “Rade!” went up, which easily became “Raid!” when retold in literature.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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