RONIN

Etymology

Noun

ronin (plural ronins or ronin)

A masterless samurai (who often becomes a mercenary to make ends meet).

(colloquial, in Japan) A student who has failed the entrance examination for the high school or university of their choice: if the student does not wish to take the exam the following year or is unable to, the student becomes a ronin, assuming full responsibility for their own training and survival.

Etymology

Proper noun

Ronin

A male given name from coinages.

Source: Wiktionary

Ro"nin", n. [Jap. ro-nin, fr. Chin. lang profligate, lawless + jên (old sound nin) man.]

Definition: In Japan, under the feudal system, a samurai who had renounced his clan or who had been discharged or ostracized and had become a wanderer without a lord; an outcast; an outlaw.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition