Etymology

sobel

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Today it means: A government soldier who joined the rebels during the Sierra Leone civil war. Full definition →

Old East Slavic соболь
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sobel · noun1

From the phrase "soldier by day, rebel by night", referring to soldiers who would secretly cooperate with rebels to enrich themselves.

Sobel · proper noun2

  1. Old East Slavic · derived fromсоболь
  2. English todaySobel

Ultimately from Old East Slavic соболь (sobolĭ).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.