Vigilanteer
/ˌvɪdʒɪlænˈtɪər/noun
A person who acts as a vigilante, taking law enforcement into their own hands.
Did you know?Vigilante ultimately comes from Latin vigilare, “to stay awake,” linking private justice to the ancient symbolism of watchfulness and guarding through the night.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weg-
“To be lively, active, or awake”
Classical Latin
Latin
vigil
“Awake, watchful, or keeping watch”
Classical Latin
Latin
vigilare
“To stay awake or keep watch”
19th Century
Spanish/English
vigilante
“A watchful person; later, one who takes law enforcement into their own hands”
19th–20th Century
English
vigilanteer
“A person acting as a vigilante, formed with the agent suffix “-eer””