cowboy
/ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/
noun
Origin
English
cow + boy — herder of cattle
Overview
Meaning Now
- a man who herds cattle on a ranch, especially in the western United States.
- a person who behaves in a reckless, dishonest, or unprofessional manner in business.
Literal older meaning
a boy or man who tends cattle
Language path
Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
cow-boy
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term originally appeared as a derogatory reference to Loyalist irregulars during the American Revolutionary War. It later evolved in the 1860s and 1870s to describe the laborers involved in long-distance cattle drives, becoming an iconic figure of the American Frontier.
Evolution
- 11th century (Old English)
cū (cow) + bōi (boy)
“cattle-tender”
Compound formation of Germanic roots.
- 1725
cowboy
“a cattle-herder”
Used during the American Revolution to describe Loyalist guerrilla fighters in New York.
- 19th century
cowboy
“a professional cattle herder in the American West”
Association with the cattle drives of the post-Civil War era.
Connections
Word parts
cow
root
domesticated bovine animal
boy
root
male child or worker
Related across languages
Dutch
koeienjongen
cowboy
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Related to cowboy
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.