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 It might be outdated or ideologically biased.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.

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References in periodicals archive

No matter how hard you work, once a season your village will be attacked by the Horde - a nasty bunch of monsters whose only mission in life is to knock down the village you are trying to build.

Fighting bad guys is Horde work; Sega Saturn's village people make this one a really monster hit

But as hard as Threat tried, he could not get to Golden Horde, who won by three-quarters of a length at 15-2, with three more back to Royal Dornoch.

Horde strikes gold in Richmond Stakes; GOODWOOD FESTIVAL

Jaina is also reflecting on the years that followed her father's death and years of the Horde letting her down at every turn, culminating in the destruction of Theramore.

Everything you need to know about World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth's cinematics; Blizzard has released a new series of animated shorts for World of Warcraft, furthering the story and setting the scene ahead of the next expansion

While the Horde is headed to Zandalar to recruit the trolls to their side, the Alliance is headed to Kul Tiras, the homeland of Jaina Proudmoore and her father's mighty fleet.

BATTLE FOR AZEROTH: ARE YOU WITH THE ALLIANCE OR THE HORDE?

Speaking on the red carpet, the American actor jokingly asked whether a "subset of Article 50" was to "release the zombie horde" on the UK.

Will you be brave enough to try The Walking Dead attraction in Hollywood? The Walking Dead attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood opens to the public on July 4; The Walking Dead attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood opens to the public on July 4

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

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

In Headsmash, the inner city is dominated by the Horde (no relation to the "World of Warcraft" player faction), a vicious cross between a criminal gang and a fascist totalitarian government.

Headsmash

"We need trained soldiers, not a horde of draftees," writes Lacey.

Only three?

Vadim Vintserovich Trepavlov, Zolotaia orda v XIV stoletii (The Golden Horde in the 14th Century).

Bulat Raimovich Rakhimzianov, The Khanate of Kasimov [1445-1552]: Essays in History/Kasimovskoe khanstvo (1445-1552 gg.): Ocherki istorii