vaquero

noun

va·​que·​ro vä-ˈker-(ˌ)ō 

plural vaqueros

: herdsman, cowboy

—used in reference to cowboys in areas (such as Mexico and the southwestern U.S.) where Spanish is spoken

Just as they were among the most accomplished of all horsemen, vaqueros were masters of the rope which they called reata.

—Martin W. Sandler

On the third day the vaqueros brought a small herd of wild three year old colts down from the mesa and penned them …

—Cormac McCarthy

The study, called "Fajitas South Texas Style," leaves its readers with images of gringo cowboys and Mexican vaqueros eating tough pieces of skirt steak seared directly on the hot coals of their campfires and then wrapped in tortillas.

—Mary Davis Suro

Examples of vaquero in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The two entered the ring waving Mexican and Peruvian flags dressed as vaqueros. —Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024

One of the oldest houses in the town for example, now towers over a new Starbucks, while cowboy boot-wearing fashionistas from Mexico City (about a four-hour drive away) hang out in the parish square next to actual vaqueros celebrating their daughters’ quinceañeras at the church. —Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

African American cowboys and Mexican vaqueros found their contributions minimized, their skills appropriated and repackaged in a way that erased their integral role in shaping the cowboy identity. —Essence, 2 Sep. 2024

Our guide and horse wrangler was one Slim, a local vaquero and an old friend of mine. —Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 26 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish — more at buckaroo

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

vaquero

noun

va·​que·​ro vä-ˈke(ə)r-ō 

plural vaqueros

: cowboy

Etymology

from Spanish vaquero "cowboy," from vaca "cow," from Latin vacca "cow" — related to buckaroo, vaccine see Word History at vaccine