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ban·dit

(băndĭt)

1. A robber, especially one who robs at gunpoint.

2. An outlaw; a gangster.

3. One who cheats or exploits others.

4. Slang A hostile aircraft, especially a fighter aircraft.

Idiom:

make out like a bandit Slang

To be highly successful in a given enterprise.

[Italian bandito, from past participle of bandire, to proclaim, proscribe, banish, probably of Germanic origin; see bhā-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

bandit·ry n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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