bronco

American  

[brong-koh] / ˈbrɒŋ koʊ /

Also bronc sometimes broncho

noun

broncos plural

1. a range pony or mustang of the western U.S., especially one that is not broken or is imperfectly broken.

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bronco British  

/ ˈbrɒŋkəʊ /

noun

1. (in the US and Canada) a wild or partially tamed pony or mustang of the western plains

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• broncos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bronco

An Americanism first recorded in 1865–70; from Mexican Spanish, short for Spanish potro bronco “untamed colt” (in Mexican Spanish: “wild horse, half-tamed horse”); bronco, was apparently a nasalized variant of the Latin adjective broccus “projecting”; see origin at broach

Explanation

A bronco is a horse that has a tendency to buck, or kick out its rear legs, especially when someone tries to ride it. Broncos make ideal rodeo horses. In Spanish, bronco means "rough," from a root defined as "a knot in wood." The word was adopted into cowboy jargon as a name for rough, or half-wild, horses that are very challenging to ride. The rodeo events that feature riders trying to stay on bucking broncos are known as "roughstock." Broncos were originally wild mustangs, but today most are specially bred to buck. The image of a cowboy riding a bronco is Wyoming's official state symbol.

Related Words

• colt
• filly
• mare
• stallion