des·per·a·do \ˌdespəˈrä](ˌ)dō, -rā], -rȧ]\noun (pluraldesperadoesalsodesperados) 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 >