Ranches

/ˈræntʃɪz/ noun

Definition

Large farms where livestock like cattle or sheep are raised, or the plural of ranch.

Etymology

From Spanish 'rancho' meaning 'camp' or 'hut,' which came from 'ranchear' (to lodge). The word moved north from Mexico into American English in the 1800s.

Kelly Says

Texas ranches were so massive that early cowboys needed horse relay stations—they'd ride horses to exhaustion across endless grassland, which is actually why Texas has the 'wide open spaces' mythology.

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