A chief or most notorious vagabond; a leader of wandering outcasts or homeless persons.
From 'arch-' (chief) plus 'vagabond' (from Medieval Latin 'vagabundus', derived from Latin 'vagari', to wander). This term appears in literature and legal documents describing organized groups of wanderers.
Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers loved describing 'archvagabonds' as charismatic leaders of outcast communities—like Falstaff leading a crew. It shows how even society's outsiders had hierarchies!
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