klepht

[ kleft ]

/ klɛft /

noun

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

Nearby words

kleist, kleist, heinrich von, klemperer, klemperer, otto, kleopatra, klepht, klepto, kleptocracy, kleptocrat, kleptocratic, kleptomania

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

Meantime, the services of the notorious Klepht Achilles have been engaged.
The Casual Ward|A. D. Godley
They say Rhangos is going to join the Turks, as many other klepht leaders have done.
In Greek Waters|G. A. Henty
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

/ (klɛft) /

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