Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

buccaneer

/ˌbʌkəˈnɪɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.41 in modern English

Syllables
buc-ca-neer
IPA
/ˌbʌkəˈnɪɚ/
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

noun

A pirate.

verb

To engage in piracy against any but one's own nation's ships.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Tupian *mo- Proto-Tupi-Guarani *mo- Proto-Tupi-Guarani *kaʔẽ Proto-Tupi-Guarani *mokaʔẽ Old Tupi mboka'ẽbor. French boucan Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. 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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: boucanier, moka'ẽ

Inflected Forms

buccaneers (plural) bucanier (alternative) buccanier (alternative) buccaneers (present, singular) buccaneering (participle, present) buccaneered (participle, past) buccaneered (past)

Derived Forms

buccaneering buccaneerish buccaneerism

Phrases

Jolly Roger skull and crossbones

Frequently Paired Words

Jolly Roger skull and crossbones

Synonyms

privateer pirate sea robber sea rover

Rhymes With

here we're hear ear tier weir seer sight-seer overhear keir puppeteer bier

Questions

How do you pronounce buccaneer?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌbʌkəˈnɪɚ/.
What does buccaneer mean?
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.
Where does buccaneer come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce buccaneer

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “buccaneer”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌbʌkəˈnɪɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “buccaneer”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “buccaneer” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.