condottiere

American  

[kawn-duh-tyair-ey, -tyair-ee, kawn-dawt-tye-re] / ˌkɔn dəˈtyɛər eɪ, -ˈtyɛər i, ˌkɔn dɔtˈtyɛ rɛ /

noun

plural

condottieri

1. a leader of a private band of mercenary soldiers in Italy, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries.

2. any mercenary; soldier of fortune.

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condottiere British  

/ ˌkɒndɒˈtjɛərɪ /

noun

1. a commander or soldier in a professional mercenary company in Europe from the 13th to the 16th centuries

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Etymology

Origin of condottiere

1785–95; < Italian, equivalent to condott ( o ) (< Latin conductus hired man, past participle of condūcere to conduce; see conduct) + -iere < Latin -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

Dlugosz brought Olesnicki the red hat from Rome in 1449, and shortly afterwards was despatched to Hungary to mediate between Hunyadi and the Bohemian condottiere Giszkra, a difficult mission which he most successfully accomplished.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 5 "Dinard" to "Dodsworth" by Various

As for the others, they were clerks, who in one way or another had managed to get their seats—men with no great permanent stake in the community, the modern substitute for the condottiere class.

From The Man Who Wins by Herrick, Robert

Adjoining the east porch is the Capella Colleoni, the mausoleum of Bartolommeo Colleoni the celebrated condottiere of the fifteenth century, whose equestrian statue in front of the church of SS.

From Cathedral Cities of Italy by Collins, William Wiehe

The Condottieri.—The immediate result of this confused period of destruction and reconstruction was the condottiere, who becomes important about 1300.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various

Like the condottiere that he was, he did not heed hard knocks provided the pay were good.

From Lord Chatham His Early Life and Connections by Rosebery, Archibald Phillip Primrose