Native American people from the southwestern United States, or members of violent street gangs in 1800s Paris.
From Spanish 'apache,' possibly from Zuni 'apachu' meaning 'enemy,' or from Apache 'apu' meaning 'enemy.' The Parisian gang meaning arose in the late 1800s.
It's surprising that 'Apache' was used for both Indigenous warriors and Parisian criminals—the term became a symbol of anyone living outside society's rules. The Apache people of the American Southwest, particularly warriors like Geronimo, became so legendary that 19th-century criminals borrowed their name as a badge of rebellion.
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