A cowboy or ranch worker, especially in the western United States; a skilled rider who tends cattle.
From Spanish 'vaquero' (cow herder), which comes from 'vaca' (cow). English settlers in the American West borrowed the Spanish term and adapted it phonetically to 'buckaroo' in the 1800s. It represents one of many Spanish-origin words in American ranching vocabulary (also: bronco, lasso, rodeo).
The word 'buckaroo' is actually a corrupted English spelling of the Spanish 'vaquero'—American cowboys couldn't quite wrap their English mouths around the Spanish pronunciation, so they adapted it into something they could say, creating this uniquely American-sounding word from Spanish roots. The same thing happened with 'lasso' from Spanish 'lazo'!
Buckaroo (from Spanish 'vaquero') historically referenced ranch workers, predominantly male and often Latino/Mexican. English usage often erased these origins and flattened the term to generic 'guy', obscuring labor history and ethnic contributions.
Use descriptively for actual ranch work roles. Avoid as casual diminutive for people, which flattens occupational and ethnic specificity.
["ranch hand","vaquero (with proper cultural credit)","cattle worker"]
Latino and Mexican vaqueros developed essential cattle-working techniques adopted across North America; English 'buckaroo' owes its existence to their knowledge and labor.
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