Definition

Noun

  • A pirate of the Spanish Main.

Origin

From the French word, boucanier, meaning pirate or hunter. Also from the French word boucan, meaning grill.

Comments

Usually refers to pirates of the Spanish Main between the 17th and 18th centuries. While they may have styled themselves as privateers, the reality is that they rarely had commissions and differed from pirates in that they didn’t attack ships of their own nation. Also referred to as zee-rovers by the Dutch, corsarios by the Spanish, and flibustiers by the French.

Inspired by the Elizabethan privateers, they became common in the Caribbean following the capture of Jamaica in 1655, and later in the Pacific. Famous buccaneers include Bartholomew Sharp, William Dampier, Alexander Selkirk (AKA Robinson Crusoe), Basil Ringrose, and Lionel Wafer.

References

Kemp, P. (1994). The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Oxford University Press.

Rogers, J.G. (1985). Origins of Sea Terms. Mystic Seaport.