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
- A person who considers it their own...
Ancestry of “vigilante”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | vigilante | watchful, alert, wakeful; guard, watchman |
| 2 | Latin | vigilans | watching; vigilant, watchful, alert; vigilant,... |
| 3 | Latin | vigilāre | — |
| 4 | Latin | vigil | awake, watching, alert; watchman, guard,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |
Words derived from “vigilante”