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condottieri

 - 3 dictionary results

con⋅dot⋅tie⋅re

  [kawn-duh-tyair-ey, -tyair-ee; It. kawn-dawt-tye-re]
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–noun, plural -tie⋅ri  [-tyair-ee; It. -tye-ree] .
1. a leader of a private band of mercenary soldiers in Italy, esp. in the 14th and 15th centuries.
2. any mercenary; soldier of fortune.
Origin:
1785–95; < It, equiv. to condott(o) (< L conductus hired man, ptp. of condūcere to conduce; see conduct ) + -iere < L -ārius -ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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con·dot·tie·re   (kŏn'də-tyâr'ē, -tyâr'ā)   
n.   pl. con·dot·tie·ri (-tyâr'ē)
A leader of mercenary soldiers between the 14th and 16th centuries.

[Italian, from condotta, troop of mercenaries, from feminine past participle of condurre, to conduct, from Latin condūcere, to lead together; see conduce.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

condottieri

leader of a band of mercenaries engaged to fight in numerous wars among the Italian states from the mid-14th to the 16th century. The name was derived from the condotta, or "contract," by which the condottieri put themselves in the service of a city or of a lord.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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