vaquero
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vaquero
First recorded in 1790–1800; from Spanish, equivalent to vac(a) “cow” (from Latin vacca ) + -ero (from Latin -ārius ); see -ary
Explanation
In Mexico and the American Southwest, a cowboy is known as a vaquero. The vaquero tradition dates back to the sixteenth century, when Spain colonized Mexico. The earliest vaqueros were native Mexicans who learned to herd cattle that belonged to Spanish colonizers. Over the centuries, the tradition spread from Mexico south to Argentina and as far north as British Columbia. Vaqueros were the original cowboys, inspiring the iconic North American horseback rancher and herder. The word vaquero derives from the Spanish vaca, or "cow."
Vocabulary lists containing vaquero
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nonetheless, the Mexican vaquero is largely erased from popular U.S. depictions of the cowboy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
One of the works is a Mexican vaquero.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
The equestrian tradition of Western cattle raising is derivative not of anything Anglos brought to conquered Indigenous land but of the northern Mexican vaquero tradition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
She’s a healer and he’s a vaquero, but both are still healing from a vampire attack when they were teenagers.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
My father had been a vaquero all his life, a calling as ancient as the coming of the Spaniard to Nuevo Méjico.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Before John Wayne and Gary Cooper, there were the noble vaqueros of Mexico, myth-makers in their own right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
“The vaqueros didn’t cross the border,” said Medina Miranda.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
His family members don’t understand his obsession, his weekends with other vaqueros.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
“I like to say hi to everybody because I’ve known them for a long time. Every Sunday, it’s the same people,” says Rodriguez as he embraces and chats with fellow vaqueros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2022
But when the western sun touched the clouds with orange and gold the vaqueros got in their trucks and headed home, and my father was left to drink alone in the long night.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
