brigand
/ˈbɹɪɡ.ənd/ noun
Forms brigands
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English brigaunt, bregaund circa 1400, from Old French brigand (“foot soldier”) attested from 1421, from Italian briga (“trouble, bother”), perhaps ultimately of Proto-Germanic or Celtic origin.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A light-armed, irregular foot soldier. [Obs.]
- noun A lawless fellow who lives by plunder; one of a band of robbers; especially, one of a gang living in mountain retreats; a highwayman; a freebooter.
Etymology [F. brigand, OF. brigant light-armed soldier, fr. LL. brigans light-armed soldier (cf. It. brigante.) fr. brigare to strive, contend, fr. briga quarrel; prob. of German origin, and akin to E. break; cf. Goth. brikan to break, brakja strife. Cf. Brigue.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “brigand”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details