buccaneer

[ buhk-uh-neer ]
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noun
  1. any of the piratical adventurers who raided Spanish colonies and ships along the American coast in the second half of the 17th century.

  2. any pirate.

Origin of buccaneer

1
1655–65; <French boucanier, literally, barbecuer, equivalent to boucan barbecue (<Tupi, variant of mukém) + -ier-eer

Other words from buccaneer

  • buc·ca·neer·ish, adjective

Words Nearby buccaneer

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How to use buccaneer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for buccaneer

buccaneer

/ (ˌbʌkəˈnɪə) /


noun
  1. a pirate, esp one who preyed on the Spanish colonies and shipping in America and the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries

verb(intr)
  1. to be or act like a buccaneer

Origin of buccaneer

1
C17: from French boucanier, from boucaner to smoke meat, from Old French boucan frame for smoking meat, of Tupian origin; originally applied to French and English hunters of wild oxen in the Caribbean

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