Horde

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Horde

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

hawd  /hɔːd/

Definition

A large group of people; a swarm or moving mass, typically implying a disorganised or threatening crowd; historically, a nomadic clan or tribe, especially of Mongol or Turkic peoples.

Plain meaning

A horde is a large, usually disorganised and potentially threatening group of people — a horde of tourists, a horde of zombies, a horde of protesters. Historically, a horde was a nomadic group or clan, particularly referring to the groups that formed the Mongol Empire and similar steppe peoples.

Register

Informal to journalistic. Horde implies a large, disorganised, and often threatening group — it is rarely neutral and often carries connotations of excess or threat. In historical contexts it is neutral and technical. In everyday speech it is frequently hyperbolic: a horde of shoppers, a horde of wasps.