No Date:
A vigilante is a person who ignores due process of law and enacts their own form of justice in response to a perception of insufficient response by the authorities.
Several groups and individuals have been labeled as vigilantes by various historians and media. Vigilantes have been central to several creative fictional works and are often depicted as being heroes and retaliatory against wrongdoers.
Etymology
The term
vigilante is
Spanish and
Portuguese for "watchman" or "watcher, ultimately from
Latin "vigilantem"- the present participle of "vigilare" (to watch). Its etymology is closely related to (though its meaning very different from) that of the term
vigilance. Note that the term
vigilantism is a derivative of
vigilante, not of
vigilant or
vigilance. The term
vigilante was introduced into
English from the
northeast United States. Vigilantism is generally frowned upon by
official agencies (who would otherwise encourage vigilance on the part of citizens), especially when it gives way to
criminal behavior on the part of the vigilante. Often seen in rapidly growing western towns, citizens sometimes choose vigilantism, capturing suspected criminals and punishing them without a trial.
No Date: