commando

n. [ D. See Command, v. t. ] 1. In South Africa, a military body or command; also, sometimes, an expedition or raid; as, a commando of a hundred Boers.

The war bands, called commandos, have played a great part in the . . . military history of the country. James Bryce. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. a usually small military unit trained to perform special missions, often behind enemy lines, and usually employing hit-and-run tactics. Such units often have the destruction of fixed targets, such as enemy installations, as their mission, in contrast to normal combat units which engage the enemy army directly. [ PJC ]

3. a member of a commando{ 2 } unit. [ PJC ]