The story
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁tis
- Proto-Italic*gentis
- Latingentem
- Old Frenchgent
- Frenchgents
- Frenchgens
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Old Frenchde
- Middle Frenchde
- Frenchd'
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂(e)rmos
- Proto-Italic*armos
- Late Latinarma
- Old Frencharme
- Middle Frencharme
- Frencharmes
- Frenchgens d'armes
- Frenchgendarmesbf.
- Frenchgendarme
- English todaygendarme
Borrowed from French gendarme, a back-formation from gendarmes, from gens d'armes (“people of arms, armed people”), from gens + d' + armes.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.