A pirate, especially one who attacked Spanish ships and settlements in the Caribbean during the 1600s-1700s; now used to mean any daring adventurer.
From French 'boucanier' (meat-smoker), derived from Taíno (Caribbean native language) 'buccan' (smoking frame for meat). Originally referred to French hunters in the Caribbean who smoked meat, but evolved to mean pirates who operated in those waters.
Buccaneers were technically privateers with permission from governments to raid enemy ships, making them 'legal' pirates—a blurry line that shows how history's heroes and villains often depends on which side writes the story. Many buccaneers were actually escaped slaves and outcasts seeking freedom and fortune.
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