Brewer's: Brigand

properly means a seditious fellow. The Brigands were light-armed, irregular troops, like the Bashi-Bazouks, and like them were addicted to marauding. The Free Companies of France were Brigands. (Italian, brigante, seditious; briga, variance.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language