cowhand

[ kou-hand ]

noun

1. a person employed on a cattle ranch; cowboy or cowgirl.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cowhand¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; cow ¹ + hand

Example Sentences

They were called “cowboys,” and white cattle workers were called “cowhands,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Houston is also home to the rodeo, the country’s oldest Black trail ride, and Black cowboy culture — in 1800s Texas, one in four cowhands were Black.

From Seattle Times

From time to time, diverting visitors wander into Faye’s campsite — friendly neighbors with a dinner invitation, Indigenous cowhands with an unusual request — their whimsical intrusions adding flavor to an unyieldingly spare story.

From New York Times

Characters discuss how Hollywood has “whitewashed” the history of Black cowhands, and they live under threat of their stables being closed because of encroaching gentrification.

From Washington Post

The Jeep remains truest to the original construct of an S.U.V. — an actual sport utility vehicle! — with a fold-down windscreen, removable doors and a ride quality that still makes occupants feel like cowhands.

From New York Times

Related Words

• herder
• rancher