dacoit

American

[duh-koit] / dəˈkɔɪt /

Or dakoit

noun

in India and Myanmar (Burma), a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder.

dacoit British

/ dəˈkɔɪt /

noun

(in India and Myanmar) a member of a gang of armed robbers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dacoit

First recorded in 1800–10, dacoit is from the Hindi word ḍakait

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Dacoit never fights if he can help it, and then only when driven into a corner, or when there appears a chance of very large plunder.

From With Clive in India Or, The Beginnings of an Empire by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

Raghu Dacoit is a dangerous and clever man.”

From Bengal Dacoits and Tigers by Devee, Sunity

On one of these occasions, the latest doings of Raghu Dacoit were being discussed.

From Bengal Dacoits and Tigers by Devee, Sunity

Just at daybreak there was a distant noise of men moving in the jungle, and the Dacoit halfway down the path fired his gun.

From Among Malay Pirates : a Tale of Adventure and Peril by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

Dacoit, da-koit′, n. one of a gang of robbers in India and Burma—also Dakoit′.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023