# buccaneer

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌbʌkəˈnɪɚ/ · frequency rank #58,566

## Definitions
1. Any of a group of seamen who cruised on their own account on the Spanish Main and in the Pacific in the 17th century, who were similar to pirates but did not prey on ships of their own nation.
2. A pirate.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Tupian *mo-
Proto-Tupi-Guarani *mo-
Proto-Tupi-Guarani *kaʔẽ
Proto-Tupi-Guarani *mokaʔẽ
Old Tupi moka'ẽbor.
French boucan
Latin -ārius
Old French -ier
Middle French -er
French -ier
French boucanierbor.
English buccaneer
From French boucanier, from boucaner (“to smoke or broil meat and fish, to hunt wild beasts for their skins”), from boucan (“(Tupi-style) grill”), from Old Tupi moka'ẽ, mboka'ẽ (“wooden grill”). By surface analysis, buccan + -eer.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/buccaneer