Spetsnaz

S1P3E1T1S1N1A1Z10

noun

Special forces in Russia and other post-Soviet states.

OriginRussian спецна́з →
UncommonScrabble 19
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounSpetsnaz pl (plural only)

alternative Spetznaz

  1. pluralplural onlySpecial forces in Russia and other post-Soviet states.

    In the summer of 2014, at least thirteen BTGs and elements of five SPETSNAZ units were poised on the Ukrainian border.³⁶

    2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014, Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, page 42

Origin

  1. Russianспецна́з
  2. EnglishSpetsnaz

Borrowed from Russian спецна́з (specnáz), abbreviation of войска́ специа́льного назначе́ния (vojská speciálʹnovo naznačénija, “special purpose forces/troops”).

More words from Russian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish Venäjän armeijan erikoisjoukot, spetsnaz-joukot
  • Venäjän armeijan erikoisjoukotpost-Soviet special forces
  • spetsnaz-joukotpost-Soviet special forces
French spetsnaz
  • spetsnazpost-Soviet special forces
German Speznas
  • Speznaspost-Soviet special forces
Japanese スペツナズ
  • スペツナズ (supetsunazu)post-Soviet special forces
Russian спецна́з
  • спецна́з (specnáz)post-Soviet special forces
Ukrainian спецна́з
  • спецна́з (specnáz)post-Soviet special forces
Cite this entry
APA

Spetsnaz. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spetsnaz

MLA

“Spetsnaz.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spetsnaz. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Spetsnaz,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Spetsnaz.

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