bois de vache

[ bwah duh vash ]

noun

1. dried buffalo dung, used as fuel by Canadian and U.S. fur trappers in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bois de vache¹

1835–45, Americanism; < Prairie Canadian French: literally, buffalo wood ( vache buffalo, French: cow)

Example Sentences

During this halt they lit a bois de vache fire, at which they cooked their breakfast, and then set out again.

From Project Gutenberg

Stopping near its bank, we gathered bois de vache, and made a meal of buffalo meat.

From Project Gutenberg

The most commonly used article is the dry dung of buffaloes, known to the Canadian voyageurs as bois de vache.

From Project Gutenberg

The wild sage begins to make its appearance, and timber is so scarce that we generally made our fires of the bois de vache.

From Project Gutenberg

There was no timber of any kind on the river, but good fires were made of drift wood, aided by the bois de vache.

From Project Gutenberg