buccaneer

[ buhk-uh-neer ]

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.

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

1. to be or act like a buccaneer

Other Words From

• bucca·neerish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of buccaneer¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of buccaneer¹

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

Example Sentences

Fred Goodwin did that in buccaneering and bullying style, trampling over the older canny values of conventional Scottish finance with the goal of creating a global giant.

From BBC

England's bold, brash and buccaneering style is winning them plenty of friends and admirers.

From BBC

Their buccaneering batting is made all the more thrilling by the risk of it going spectacularly wrong, like watching a tightrope walker tiptoe between skyscrapers.

From BBC

England have won 11 of their past 13 Tests in buccaneering fashion.

From BBC

In “Jaws,” Quint the buccaneer is devoured by the shark, along with one of the oxygen tanks Professor Hooper insisted on bringing on the boat.

From Washington Times