Vigilante

How to spell vigilante

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce vigilante

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does vigilante mean?

1. nounA private citizen who takes the law into their own hands, punishing suspected criminals without legal authority.

Vigilante in a sentence

• The masked vigilante patrolled the alleys at night looking for thieves.

• Police warned residents not to act as a vigilante and to report crimes instead.

Where does vigilante come from?

Language of origin: Spanish

This word comes directly from Spanish vigilante, which means 'watchman' or 'guard' and works as an adjective meaning 'vigilant' or 'on the watch'. It traces back to the Latin vigilantem, the present participle of vigilare, meaning 'to keep watch' or 'to stay awake', which itself rests on vigil, 'awake' or 'alert'. The same Latin root gives English the related words 'vigil' and 'vigilant', so the shared family is a useful spelling anchor. The word entered American English around the 1850s, when so-called vigilance committees in California and other frontier areas took law enforcement into their own hands; a member of such a group was called a vigilante. From there it spread to mean any private citizen who pursues or punishes wrongdoers without legal authority. The tricky part for spellers is the Spanish ending -ante, which sounds like 'tee' but is never spelled with a 'y' or a final 'i'.

How the word is built

• vigil- (from Latin vigil: awake, watchful)
• -ante (Spanish agent suffix: one who does)