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

Walk 3.6 miles along the beach past houses, to Buccaneer Beach Park and Loma Alta Marsh.

From Los Angeles Times

The actor’s more substantive television work also included British series “Buccaneer,” “Into the Labyrinth” and “EastEnders.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Every day here feels like the most perfect summer day,” Mercedes Murray, 38, said as she lounged at Buccaneer Beach, a spot popular among locals.

From New York Times

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

With comparable deftness, Kelly A. Harmon’s “Trumpets of Freedom” reassembles characters from “The Lighthouse at the End of the World,” then adds steampunk robots and that aeronautical buccaneer, Robur the Conqueror.

From Washington Post