What does bersagliere mean?
A bersagliere (plural: bersaglieri) is a soldier belonging to the Bersaglieri, a celebrated corps of light infantry in the Italian army first raised in the 1830s by King Charles Albert of Sardinia. The corps was created as a force of highly trained marksmen who could move quickly across difficult terrain, and its members became famous for two enduring traditions: firing at targets — the practice reflected in their very name, which derives from the Italian word bersaglio, meaning 'target' — and advancing at an unusually fast, jogging run rather than a conventional march. Their most recognizable emblem is the wide-brimmed hat adorned with glossy black feathers, still worn on ceremonial occasions today. In English, the word appears almost exclusively in historical, military, or cultural contexts, describing these soldiers during the Risorgimento, the world wars, or modern ceremonial parades. It conveys precision, speed, and a distinctly national Italian identity.
A member of the Bersaglieri, the light-infantry marksmen corps of the Italian army.
"A veteran bersagliere wore his feathered hat to the commemoration."
The Italian plural bersaglieri is standard in English; singular use typically appears in historical narrative.
More broadly, any Italian sharpshooter or marksman, especially one of exceptional skill.
"Local legend held that every bersagliere could hit a coin tossed into the air."
This generalized sense is much less common than the specific reference to the corps.
English borrows the original Italian plural; the singular is bersagliere.
"The bersaglieri marched past the reviewing stand at a brisk trot."
The bersaglieri don't march — they jog, running at double pace while wearing hats crowned with black grouse feathers, a tradition unbroken since the 1830s.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bersagliere
Bersagliere comes from the Italian noun bersaglio, meaning 'target' or 'mark', combined with the agentive suffix '-iere'; it thus literally denotes one who shoots at a target. The corps named for this skill was established in 1836 in the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the term entered English through accounts of the Italian Wars of Unification. Related Italian forms include bersagliare ('to shoot at'), all built on the same root as bersaglio.
Related word forms
How bersagliere is actually used
The word is borrowed directly from Italian and retains its Italian plural form 'bersaglieri' in English; an anglicized plural 'bersaglieres' is rare. It carries historical and military connotations and appears chiefly in writing about Italian history, military affairs, or heritage.
Easily confused with bersagliere
A brigadier is a senior military officer rank, whereas a bersagliere is a rank-and-file light infantry soldier of the historic Italian corps.