Also kleft. [ad. mod. Gr. κλέφτης, ancient Gr. κλέπτης thief.] One of the body of Greeks who refused to submit to the Turks after the conquest of Greece in the fifteenth century, and maintained their independence in the mountains. After the war of independence (1821–8) those who continued this existence became mere brigands. Hence, A brigand, bandit.
1820. T. S. Hughes, Trav. Sicily, etc. I. vi. 178. Here we pitched our tent and dined, but the tatar would not permit us to sleep under it for fear of the kleftes or banditti.
1847. Church, in Life & Lett., 20 April (1894), 106. The difficulty of the road,… and the fear of klephts.
1888. Blackie, in Times, 7 April, 7/2. The assertors of Greek independence … were, in fact, a sort of patriotic brigands, known as klephts.
Hence Klephtic a., belonging to or characteristic of klephts; Klephtism, brigandage.
1834. Ld. Houghton, Mem. Many Scenes, Suliot to Frank (1844), 28. The Suliot character and method of life … the rash impartiality with which they conducted their klephtic enterprises.
1858. Freeman, in W. R. W. Stephens, Life (1895), I. 239. Plenty of evils, peculation, klephtism, what not—but good stuff at the bottom.
