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Red Guard

1. A member of an activist youth movement in China, prominent during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s, that espoused Maoist principles.

2. A member of a radical political group with Maoist leanings.

[Translation of Chinese (Mandarin) hóng wèibīng : hóng, red + wèibīng, guard (wèi, to defend + bīng, weapons, troops).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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