horde

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horde

1. a local group of people in a nomadic society
2. a nomadic group of people, esp an Asiatic group
3. a large moving mass of animals, esp insects
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Horde

 

(1) Among the Turkic and Mongol peoples, a military-administrative organization, quartering place, or nomad camp. In medieval times it was a headquarters; the state rulers’ capital. Consequently, the term came to designate the great Turkic and Mongol feudal states and nomadic tribal alliances, for example, the Golden Horde and the Nogai Horde.

(2) An archaic term for the first pretribal (preclan) societies of primitive man. In this sense, “horde” is a synonym for the “primitive human herd.”

(3) In everyday usage, a horde is a large, unorganized crowd of people.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in classic literature ?
"O Tario, most glorious Jeddak," replied Jav, "these be strangers who came with the hordes of Torquas to our gates, saying that they were prisoners of the green men.
"This be the princess, Thuvia of Ptarth, who was captured by the Torquasian horde. I am Carthoris of Helium, Prince of the house of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, and son of John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and of his wife, Dejah Thoris."
Carthoris could not but notice the fact that though the city had been but a short time before surrounded by a horde of bloodthirsty demons yet none of the citizens appeared to be armed, nor was there sign of soldiery about.
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Scarcely had the horde of Torn passed out of sight down the east edge of the valley ere a party of richly dressed knights, coming from the south by another road along the west bank of the river, crossed over and drew rein before the cottage of Father Claude.
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He was partially guided by occasional shots which indicated that the Arab horde was still in touch with the villagers; but he knew that if they would but follow his advice there would be but few casualties other than on the side of the marauders.
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BY AMY COLES BRITS were among hordes of tourists trying to leave Indonesia yesterday after a series of earthquakes.
Brit tourists trying to flee quake islands
Nearly 200 people died in separate accidents in December as hordes of people rushed to their rural homes for Christmas.
Two die, five injured in accident along Kendu Bay-Katito road
after hordes of Israeli settlers flocked to Beit Furik checkpoint, east of Nablus, under a tight security shield, PIC reported.
Israeli settlers storm Joseph's Tomb in Nablus
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Saudis have resumed airstrikes in force across Yemen and the United Nations is not facing the murderous hordes -- yet again.
Yemen: The Murderous Hordes Are Charging Again
Rather than participate as a survivor in the game, zombie volunteers play an integral role in making up the hordes of undead out to destroy the last living souls on earth.
Dead right for the role
To unearth the truth survivors will have to make it passed hordes of the 2.8 Hours Later undead, will they survive
2.8 Hours Later in Gateshead: Enrol in Zombie School this weekend; Zombie chase game 2.8 Hours Later is back in the North East at the end of the month for a stint in Gateshead and needs volunteers to be the undead
Yes, you're funnelled down a strictly linear path, weaving your way around bombed out towns and coming across ever-larger hordes of the undead marauding towards you.
Too ghoul for school Zombie Army TrilogyXbox One; GAMES PS29.99

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