n.
Pronunciation: ˌ vi-j ə - ' lan-t ē
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 \ - ' lan- ˌ ti-z ə m \ noun