ˌdespəˈrä](ˌ)dō, -rā], -rȧ]\ noun
( plural desperadoes also desperados )
Etymology: probably alteration (influenced by Spanish -ado, as in renegado ) of desperate (II)
1. obsolete : one in despair or in desperate straits
2. : a bold or violent criminal ; typically : a bandit of the western frontier
bands of desperadoes lay in wait every few miles along the highway — Green Peyton