klepht
[ kleft ]
/ klɛft /
noun
a Greek or Albanian brigand, exalted in the war of Greek independence as a patriotic robber; guerrilla.
Origin of klepht
1810–20; < Modern Greek
kléphtēs, variant of Modern Greek, Greek
kléptēs thief, rogue; see
kleptomania
OTHER WORDS FROM klepht
kleph·tic, adjectiveWords nearby klepht
kleinhuisie,
kleinian,
kleist,
klemperer,
kleopatra,
klepht,
klepto,
kleptocracy,
kleptocrat,
kleptocratic,
kleptomania
Example sentences from the Web for klepht
Meantime, the services of the notorious Klepht Achilles have been engaged.
The Casual Ward |A. D. GodleyThey say Rhangos is going to join the Turks, as many other klepht leaders have done.
In Greek Waters |G. A. HentyWhoever was not a klepht was the victim of some official extortioner.
He has taken the leadership of the coryphes, and now executes a dance which is called the "Klepht."
From the Oak to the Olive |Julia Ward Howe
British Dictionary definitions for klepht
klepht
/ (klɛft) /
noun
any of the Greeks who fled to the mountains after the 15th-century Turkish conquest of Greece and whose descendants survived as brigands into the 19th century
Derived forms of klepht
klephtic, adjectiveWord Origin for klepht
C19: from Modern Greek
klephtēs, from Greek
kleptēs thief