Where does “vigilante” come from?

Vigilante comes from Spanish vigilante, from Latin vigilans (watchful), derived from vigilo (to keep watch), rooted in vigil (awake), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weǵ- (to be strong or lively).

vigilante (English): A person who considers it their own...

Definitions

  1. A person who considers it their own...

Ancestry of “vigilante”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishvigilantewatchful, alert, wakeful; guard, watchman
2Latinvigilanswatching; vigilant, watchful, alert; vigilant,...
3Latinvigilāre
4Latinvigilawake, watching, alert; watchman, guard,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵ-lively, awake; strong

Words derived from “vigilante

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵ-Every word from Latin vigilEvery word from Latin vigilāre