also: おちゅうど
noun
defeated soldier fleeing the enemy; fugitive warrior
Historical term for a warrior who has lost a battle and is fleeing or hiding from the enemy. Often associated with the Heian and medieval periods.
平家の落人たちは山奥に隠れ住んだ。
The fleeing Heike warriors lived hidden deep in the mountains.
落人伝説がこの地域に残っている。
Legends of fugitive warriors remain in this region.
敗残兵 is a more general term for a defeated soldier or remnant troops, while 落人 specifically evokes a historical, often noble, fugitive warrior.
Compound of 落ち (ochi, 'falling, fleeing', from verb 落ちる) and 人 (udo, old form of 人 'person'). The reading おちゅうど is a historical variant.