An Indian soldier serving in a European army, particularly the British colonial forces in India.
From Urdu/Hindi 'sipāhī' (soldier, cavalryman). The British adopted the term during colonial rule in India for native troops serving under European command.
The Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 was named for Indian soldiers called 'sepoys,' yet the word 'cipaye' is an older, rarer variant—a linguistic ghost of early colonial encounters before the term standardized as 'sepoy.'
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