Boucanier
/ˌbuːkəˈnɪər/noun
A pirate or privateer, especially one active in the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Did you know?The word comes from French boucan, a smoked-meat rack or the smoke-cured meat itself, from the Taíno word buccan, showing how Caribbean Indigenous vocabulary entered the language of piracy.
Etymological Timeline
Taíno (pre-16th century)
Taíno
buccan
“A wooden frame used for smoking meat, or the meat smoked on it”
16th Century
French
boucan
“A smoking rack or smoked meat, especially in Caribbean usage”
17th Century
French
boucanier
“A person who smoked meat on a boucan; later, a hunter or pirate in the Caribbean”
17th–18th Century
English
buccaneer
“A Caribbean pirate, originally a hunter or meat-smoker on the islands”