brigand

American  

[brig-uhnd] / ˈbrɪg ənd /

noun

1. a bandit, especially one of a band of robbers in mountain or forest regions.

   Synonyms:

   cutthroat, desperado, highwayman, outlaw

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brigand British  

/ ˈbrɪɡənd /

noun

1. a bandit or plunderer, esp a member of a gang operating in mountainous areas

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Other Word Forms

• brigandage noun
• brigandish adjective
• brigandishly adverb

Etymology

Origin of brigand

1350–1400; variant of Middle English briga ( u ) nt < Middle French brigand < Old Italian brigante companion, member of an armed company, equivalent to brig ( are ) to treat, deal (with), make war (derivative of briga trouble, strife; of uncertain origin) + -ante -ant

Explanation

A brigand is a bad guy, especially one who belongs to a band of armed robbers. Railway travel used to be dangerous in the days when brigands frequently robbed passing trains. In the earliest years of the United States, travelers to the most sparsely inhabited parts of the country were vulnerable to highway robbers and brigands, groups of armed thieves who would stop stagecoaches and steal from those inside. The earliest kind of brigand wasn't an outlaw, however — he was a foot soldier in a legitimate army, from the Italian brigante, "trooper, skirmisher, or foot soldier." Brigand shares a root with brigade.

Example Sentences

He’s both the handsome and heroic Jamie Lockhart and, his face stained with berry juice, he’s a dashing but dastardly brigand.

From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2016

This brigand may not be as wily as he thinks he is, but Leone loved him enough to let him survive the famous shootout and still be hanging around, so to speak, at the end.

From Time • Jun. 25, 2014

In contrast to Francis Wheen's raucous account of Marx's life as hack, brigand and rapscallion, Sperber places the history of ideas at the heart of his study.

From The Guardian • Jun. 26, 2013

For email notification of errors in this specific column, type brigand in the subject head of an e-mail message, and send it to .

From Slate • Apr. 5, 2011

“I’m not a brigand or a devil. I’m a Benedictine brother. A monk.”

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz