banditti
|ban-dit-ti|
/bænˈdɪti/
(bandit)
outlaw robber
Etymology
'banditti' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'bandito', where 'bandire' (from Late Latin) meant 'to banish' or 'to proclaim', and 'bandito' came to mean 'an outlaw' (a banished person).
'bandito' (Italian) passed into English as 'bandit' and the Italian plural 'banditti' has been used in English to refer to multiple bandits; the sense developed through literary and historical usage.
Initially it meant 'a person banished or declared an outlaw', but over time it evolved to mean 'a robber or member of a gang of thieves' in common usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'bandit': thieves or outlaws, often used for members of an organized gang of robbers (literary or historical usage).
The travelers were ambushed by banditti on the mountain pass.
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Noun 2
used in historical or literary contexts to refer to persons declared outlaws or expelled from society (from the sense 'banished ones').
The novel describes the banditti who were once declared traitors and forced into the hills.
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Last updated: 2026/01/10 13:02