ˈhō(ə)rd, ˈhȯ(ə)rd, -ōəd, -ȯ(ə)d noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French, German & Polish; Middle French & German horde, from Polish horda, of Mongolic origin; akin to Mongolian ordu, orda court, camp, horde, Kalmuck orda
1.
a.
(1) : a clan or tribal group of Tatar or other Mongolian nomadic tent dwellers claiming exclusive hunting or grazing rights over a defined area
(2) : a people or tribe of nomadic life
b. : a usually small and typically nomadic social group composed of allied or related family groups occupying a common territory ; especially : such a group among the Australian aborigines
c. : a hypothetical primordial social unit comprised of a number of families
the primitive horde posited by evolutionists
2. : an unorganized or loosely organized mass of individuals : a vast number : crowd , swarm , agglomeration
circling hordes of mixed insects — B.J.Haimes
unpolluted … by their brief contact with the touristic horde — Arnold Bennett
hordes of Irish … came to the American shore — American Guide Series: New York
most companies today take hordes of pictures — W.B.Eidson
Synonyms: see crowd