Synonyms

condottiere

American

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

noun

a leader of a private band of mercenary soldiers in Italy, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries.
any mercenary; soldier of fortune.

condottiere British

/ ˌkɒndɒˈtjɛərɪ /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

condottieri

plural

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

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