brig·and
(brĭg′ənd)n. A robber or bandit, especially one of an outlaw band.
[Middle English brigaunt, from Old French, from Old Italian brigante, skirmisher, from present participle of brigare, to fight; see brigade.]
brig′and·age (-ən-dĭj), brig′and·ism n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
brigandism
the practice of pillage, often destructive, usually practiced by a band of robbers. Also brigandage. — brigand, n. — brigandish, adj.
See also: Theft-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.