gaucho

[gou-choh, gou-chaw]

noun

plural

gauchos 

1. a cowboy of the South American pampas, usually of mixed Spanish and Indigenous ancestry.

2. Also called gaucho pants. gauchos. wide, calf-length trousers for men or women modeled after the trousers worn by South American gauchos.

gaucho

/ ˈɡaʊtʃəʊ /

noun

1. a cowboy of the South American pampas, usually one of mixed Spanish and Indian descent

Word History and Origins

Origin of gaucho¹

First recorded in 1815–25; from South American Spanish, from Arawak cachu “comrade”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gaucho¹

C19: from American Spanish, probably from Quechuan wáhcha orphan, vagabond

Example Sentences

Sporting a conquistador moustache and thighs as thick as a gaucho's steak, the culture shock was severe when the Argentina wing arrived at Harlequins.

Read more on BBC

Cattle and ranching are synonymous with the culture and romance of the gauchos—the cowboys of southern Brazil—as legendary as their counterparts in the American West and known for skewered barbecued steak called churrasco.

Read more on National Geographic

People driving by his sanctuary honk their car horns, shouting “¡Viva el gaucho!”

Read more on Seattle Times

Both nations cherish gaucho or cowboy culture; some people worship soccer as a quasi-religion.

Read more on Seattle Times

Both nations cherish gaucho or cowboy culture, and some people worship soccer as a quasi-religion.

Read more on Seattle Times

Related Words

• breeder 
• herder 
• herdsman