A bandit or armed robber, especially one who operates in India or Southeast Asia as part of an organized gang.
From Hindi 'ḍakait,' which comes from Sanskrit 'daka' meaning 'robber' or 'thief.' It entered English through British colonial contact with India and was used to describe organized banditry in the subcontinent.
This word is a direct import from British colonialism—it's one of the clearest examples of English absorbing words from the places it colonized, and 'dacoit' still carries that colonial-era atmosphere despite being a simple word for 'bandit.'
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