Main Entry: vig·i·lan·te

Pronunciation: \ˌvi-jə-ˈlan-tē\

Function: noun

Etymology: Spanish, watchman, guard, from vigilante vigilant, from Latin vigilant-, vigilans

Date: 1856

: a member of a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily (as when the processes of law are viewed as inadequate); broadly : a self-appointed doer of justice

— vig·i·lan·tism \-ˈlan-ˌti-zəm\ noun