1. Highland robbers or bandits, especially those from the Scottish Highlands; armed raiders or mercenaries.
Usage: historical; chiefly Scottish; plural of cateran

Examples

• The caterans roamed the Scottish Highlands, preying on travelers and merchants.
• Local authorities struggled to control the bands of caterans operating in the remote glens.
• Medieval records describe caterans as fierce warriors who lived by plunder and extortion.
• The caterans were eventually suppressed by stronger central government authority.
• Highland clans sometimes employed caterans as mercenaries in their feuds.