Haganah

H4A1G2A1N1A1H4

proper noun

A Jewish paramilitary organization in the British Mandate of Palestine (1921–48), which became the core of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

OriginHebrew הַהֲגָנָה →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. historicalA Jewish paramilitary organization in the British Mandate of Palestine (1921–48), which became the core of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

    The militias have already taken the centre of the city. Haganah trucks are visible in the squares, driving Arabs by armed force down to the port.

    2023, Isabella Hammad, Enter Ghost, Jonathan Cape, page 181

Origin

  1. Hebrewהַהֲגָנָה
  2. EnglishHaganah

Borrowed from Hebrew הַהֲגָנָה, literally "the defence" (see גָּנַן (ganán)) ultimately from the root ג־נ־ן (g-n-n).

More words from Hebrew

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Cite this entry
APA

Haganah. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Haganah

MLA

“Haganah.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Haganah. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Haganah,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Haganah.

Source: Haganah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.