klepht

[kleft]

noun

a Greek or Albanian brigand, exalted in the war of Greek independence as a patriotic robber; guerrilla.

Origin of klepht

1810–20; < Modern Greek kléphtēs, variant of Modern Greek, Greek kléptēs thief, rogue; see kleptomania

Related formskleph·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for klepht

Historical Examples of klepht

They say Rhangos is going to join the Turks, as many other klepht leaders have done.
In Greek Waters
G. A. Henty
Meantime, the services of the notorious Klepht Achilles have been engaged.
The Casual Ward
A. D. Godley
Whoever was not a klepht was the victim of some official extortioner.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3
Various
He has taken the leadership of the coryphes, and now executes a dance which is called the "Klepht."
From the Oak to the Olive
Julia Ward Howe

British Dictionary definitions for klepht

klepht

noun

any of the Greeks who fled to the mountains after the 15th-century Turkish conquest of Greece and whose descendants survived as brigands into the 19th century

Derived Formsklephtic, adjective

Word Origin for klepht

C19: from Modern Greek klephtēs, from Greek kleptēs thief

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