cateran

American

[kat-er-uhn] / ˈkæt ər ən /

noun

(formerly) a freebooter or marauder of the Scottish Highlands.

cateran British

/ ˈkætərən /

noun

(formerly) a member of a band of brigands and marauders in the Scottish highlands

"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 cateran

1325–75; < Medieval Latin caterānus, Latinized form of Middle English ( Scots ) catherein < Scots Gaelic ceatharn; see kern ¹

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 kern or cateran of the Highlands was a light-armed infantryman, as opposed to the heavy-armed "gallowglass."

From Lady of the Lake by Moody, William Vaughn

The seal, a stag—no bad emblem of a wild cateran.

From Rob Roy — Volume 01 by Scott, Walter, Sir

No longer was he hunted by the cateran chief—no more were his lands devastated, or his cattle carried off.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 12 by Various

"Then pressing my proffered hand in his, he turned away; and in a few minutes the Highland cateran was out of sight."

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 7 by Various

"Is that for the cateran back again?" asked the other.

From David Balfour, Second Part Being Memoirs Of His Adventures At Home And Abroad, The Second Part: In Which Are Set Forth His Misfortunes Anent The Appin Murder; His Troubles With Lord Advocate Grant; Captivity On The Bass Rock; Journey Into Holland And France; And Singular Relations With James More Drummond Or Macgregor, A Son Of The Notorious Rob Roy, And His Daughter Catriona by Stevenson, Robert Louis

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