Word Study
fifteen |
fifteenth |
fifth |
fifth amendment |
fifth avenue |
fifth column
| fifth columnist
| fifth cranial nerve
| fifth crusade
| fifth lateran council
| fifth part
fifth column
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun fifth column has 1 sense
- fifth column(n = noun.group) trojan horse - a subversive group that supports the enemy and engages in espionage or sabotage; an enemy in your midst; Array is a kind of social unit, unit
CIDE DICTIONARY
fifth column, n. [from a statement during the Spanish Civil War (1936) that the Falange had four columns of soldiers marching on the city, and a fifth column “already there” (i.e. sympathizers inside the Republican lines).].
- a group of persons inside the battle lines of a territory engaged in a conflict, who secretly sympathize with the enemy, and who engage in espionage or sabotage; -- sometimes also referred to as a
trojan horse . [RP] - Hence, any faction of persons within a group who secretly sympathize with an enemy, especially those who engage in activities harmful to the group; an enemy in one's midst; a group of traitors. [RP]
THESAURUS
fifth column
Judas-like, Trojan horse, Trojan-horse, betraying, collaborationist, collaborator, crypto, double-crossing, fellow traveler, fifth columnist, fraternizer, quisling, quislingistic, saboteur, security risk, subversive, traitorous, treasonable, treasonous, turncoat, two-timing, underground
For further exploring for "fifth column" in Webster Dictionary Online