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A vigilante is a person who punishes criminals themselves, outside the law, usually because they believe the police cannot or will not do the job. That last part is the heart of the word: the vigilante is not a criminal for gain — they think they are doing justice — but they have no legal right to do it, and what they do is itself against the law.
A vigilante is a person who punishes criminals themselvesvigilante是自己動手懲罰罪犯的人 outside the law而且是在法律之外進行的 usually because they believe the police cannot or will not do the job通常是因為他們認為警察沒辦法或不願意做這件事 That last part is the heart of the word最後這一點正是這個字的核心 the vigilante is not a criminal for gainvigilante不是為了自己的利益去犯罪 — they think they are doing justice —他們自認為是在伸張正義 but they have no legal right to do it但他們沒有這麼做的法律權利 and what they do is itself against the law而他們的行為本身就是違法的
It is a countable noun: a vigilante, groups of vigilantes. It is also used before another noun to describe that kind of action: vigilante justice, a vigilante group, vigilante violence.
It is a countable noun它是可數名詞 a vigilante, groups of vigilantes像a vigilante（一個私刑者）、groups of vigilantes（一群私刑者） It is also used before another noun to describe that kind of action它也可以放在另一個名詞前面，形容那種行為 vigilante justice, a vigilante group, vigilante violence像vigilante justice（私刑正義）、a vigilante group（私刑團體）、vigilante violence（私刑暴力）
How the word feels depends a lot on who is speaking. In news reports it is — it signals mob beatings, people killed on suspicion, no trial. In films and comics it is almost : Batman is usually described as a vigilante, and so are many action heroes. Online there is now 'digital vigilante' or 'internet vigilante' for people who hunt down and expose others on social media.
How the word feels depends a lot on who is speaking這個字給人的感覺，很看講話的人是誰 In news reports it is disapproving在新聞報導裡它是帶著否定意味的 it signals mob beatings, people killed on suspicion, no trial它暗示的是群眾私自毆打、憑懷疑就殺人、沒有經過審判 In films and comics it is almost admiring在電影和漫畫裡它幾乎是帶著讚賞意味的 Batman is usually described as a vigilante蝙蝠俠通常就被說成是a vigilante and so are many action heroes很多動作英雄也是一樣 Online there is now 'digital vigilante' or 'internet vigilante'在網路上現在也有'digital vigilante'或'internet vigilante'（網路私刑者）這種說法 for people who hunt down and expose others on social media用來指在社群媒體上追查並公開別人身分的人
Because of the hero stories, students sometimes think the word simply means a brave — but in real-world writing it usually carries a warning inside it.
Because of the hero stories因為這些英雄故事的關係 students sometimes think the word simply means a brave helper學生有時候會以為這個字單純是指一個勇敢的幫手 but in real-world writing it usually carries a warning inside it但在真實世界的文章裡，它通常帶著一種警示的味道
組成Borrowed from Spanish vigilante, 'watchman, guard', which came from Latin vigilans 'staying awake'. It came into English from the American West, where citizens formed their own 'vigilance committees'. It is a doublet of vigilant — same Latin source, two different journeys.
原始詞典資料3 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
Vigilantename
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A surname.
vigilantenoun/ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/
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A member of a vigilance committee.
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A person who acts outside of legal authority, often violently, to punish or avenge a crime, right a perceived wrong, etc.
- For example, a voice accusing a man of being a paedophile might be based on recent TV news programmes about antipaedophile vigilante groups, plus the memory of having been accused of being a pervert by a neighbour, plus fears that he might be a secret paedophile because he enjoyed reading Lolita.
- Jeptha Billingsley, who was no prize pig himself (he had been arrested for horse theft and assault with intent to murder), was to be taught a lesson, and the vigilantes made him cut down the McLemores.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。