Vacherie
/ˈvɑːʃəri/noun
A cattle ranch or cattle-raising settlement, especially in Louisiana.
Did you know?Vacherie shares its Latin ancestry with vaccine: both ultimately trace back to Latin vacca, meaning “cow,” because the first vaccine was developed from cowpox.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
vacca
“Cow; the likely source of the later French cattle vocabulary.”
Late Latin
Latin
vaccaria
“A place associated with cows or cattle, a likely intermediate formation behind Romance cattle-place terms.”
Old French
Old French
vache
“Cow; descended from Latin vacca.”
Middle French
French
vacherie
“A cattle shed, dairy establishment, or place where cattle are kept; formed from vache with -erie.”
18th–19th Century
Louisiana French
vacherie
“A cattle-raising farm or ranch in French-speaking Louisiana.”
Modern English
English
Vacherie
“A Louisiana term and place name referring to a cattle ranch or cattle-raising community.”
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