Wiktionary

cowboy

See also: Cowboy and cow-boy

English

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Two cowboys.

Etymology

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PIE word
*gʷṓws

From cow +‎ boy. More on Wikipedia.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/
  • Audio (Australia):(file)

Noun

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cowboy (countable and uncountable, plural cowboys)

  1. A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.
    • 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:
      There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up […].”
  2. A man who identifies with cowboy culture, including wearing a cowboy hat and being a fan of country and western music.
  3. (obsolete) A young lad employed to tend to cattle.
    • 1828, T. Crofton Croker, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South or Ireland, volume II, London: John Murray, page 312:
      Mr. Consadine had scarcely finished the sentence when he saw his cow-boy running up the street, shouting and crying aloud that the best cow in the inch field was lost and gone, and nobody knew what had become of her, or could give the least tidings of her.
  4. (informal) A person who engages in reckless behavior, especially for the purpose of showing off.
  5. (UK, New Zealand, informal) A dishonest or incompetent independent tradesman.
  6. (card games, slang) A playing card of king rank.
  7. (uncountable) Ellipsis of cowboy pool.

Hypernyms

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Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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Translations

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See also

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Verb

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cowboy (third-person singular simple present cowboys, present participle cowboying, simple past and past participle cowboyed)

  1. (intransitive) To work as a cowboy, herding cattle.
    • 1994, Sherry Robinson, El Malpais, Mt. Taylor, and the Zuni Mountains: a hiking guide and history:
      Besides cowboying he worked at a small sawmill that cut logs into "four slabs and a tie" and sold ties to the railroad.
    • 1995, American Cowboy (volume 2, number 4, Nov-Dec 1995, page 26)
      Derwood Bailey cowboyed for 50 cents a day, a noon meal, and a gallon of oats for his horse.
    • 2003, C. J. Hadley, Trappings of the Great Basin Buckaroo:
      I still had never ridden or cowboyed, and I wanted to learn something about it. I'd been making the damn saddles for years but didn't know how to use them.

References

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Basque

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Etymology

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From English cowboy.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cowboy anim

  1. cowboy
    Synonyms: unai, behizain

Declension

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Declension of cowboy (anim V-stem1)
indefinite singular plural proximal plural
absolutive cowboy cowboya cowboyak cowboyok
ergative cowboyk cowboyak cowboyek cowboyok
dative cowboyri cowboyari cowboyei cowboyoi
genitive cowboyren cowboyaren cowboyen cowboyon
comitative cowboyrekin cowboyarekin cowboyekin cowboyokin
causative cowboyrengatik cowboyarengatik cowboyengatik cowboyongatik
benefactive cowboyrentzat cowboyarentzat cowboyentzat cowboyontzat
instrumental cowboyz cowboyaz cowboyez cowboyotaz
inessive cowboyrengan cowboyarengan cowboyengan cowboyongan
locative — — — —
allative cowboyrengana cowboyarengana cowboyengana cowboyongana
terminative cowboyrenganaino cowboyarenganaino cowboyenganaino cowboyonganaino
directive cowboyrenganantz cowboyarenganantz cowboyenganantz cowboyonganantz
destinative cowboyrenganako cowboyarenganako cowboyenganako cowboyonganako
ablative cowboyrengandik cowboyarengandik cowboyengandik cowboyongandik
partitive cowboyrik — — —
prolative cowboytzat — — —

1. Optionally, case suffixes can be separated from the root with a hyphen.

Further reading

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  • “cowboy”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]

Danish

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Etymology

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From cowboy.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kɔwbɔj/, [ˈkʰɒwˌb̥ʌj]

Noun

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cowboy c (singular definite cowboyen, plural indefinite cowboys or cowboyer)

  1. cowboy

Declension

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Declension of cowboy
common
gender 		singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative cowboy cowboyen cowboys
cowboyer 		cowboyerne
genitive cowboys cowboyens cowboys'
cowboyers 		cowboyernes

Derived terms

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References

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈkɑu̯.bɔi̯/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: cow‧boy

Noun

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cowboy m (plural cowboys, diminutive cowboytje n)

  1. cowboy

Derived terms

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Finnish

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cowboy

  1. cowboy (person who attends cattle, especially in the American West)

Declension

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Inflection of cowboy (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
nominative cowboy cowboyt
genitive cowboyn cowboyiden
cowboyitten
partitive cowboyta cowboyita
illative cowboyhin
cowboyhyn 		cowboyihin
singular plural
nominative cowboy cowboyt
accusative nom. cowboy cowboyt
gen. cowboyn
genitive cowboyn cowboyiden
cowboyitten
partitive cowboyta cowboyita
inessive cowboyssa cowboyissa
elative cowboysta cowboyista
illative cowboyhin
cowboyhyn 		cowboyihin
adessive cowboylla cowboyilla
ablative cowboylta cowboyilta
allative cowboylle cowboyille
essive cowboyna cowboyina
translative cowboyksi cowboyiksi
abessive cowboytta cowboyitta
instructive — cowboyin
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of cowboy (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative cowboyni cowboyni
accusative nom. cowboyni cowboyni
gen. cowboyni
genitive cowboyni cowboyideni
cowboyitteni
partitive cowboytani cowboyitani
inessive cowboyssani cowboyissani
elative cowboystani cowboyistani
illative cowboyhini
cowboyhyni 		cowboyihini
adessive cowboyllani cowboyillani
ablative cowboyltani cowboyiltani
allative cowboylleni cowboyilleni
essive cowboynani cowboyinani
translative cowboykseni cowboyikseni
abessive cowboyttani cowboyittani
instructive — —
comitative — cowboyineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative cowboysi cowboysi
accusative nom. cowboysi cowboysi
gen. cowboysi
genitive cowboysi cowboyidesi
cowboyittesi
partitive cowboytasi cowboyitasi
inessive cowboyssasi cowboyissasi
elative cowboystasi cowboyistasi
illative cowboyhisi
cowboyhysi 		cowboyihisi
adessive cowboyllasi cowboyillasi
ablative cowboyltasi cowboyiltasi
allative cowboyllesi cowboyillesi
essive cowboynasi cowboyinasi
translative cowboyksesi cowboyiksesi
abessive cowboyttasi cowboyittasi
instructive — —
comitative — cowboyinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative cowboymme cowboymme
accusative nom. cowboymme cowboymme
gen. cowboymme
genitive cowboymme cowboyidemme
cowboyittemme
partitive cowboytamme cowboyitamme
inessive cowboyssamme cowboyissamme
elative cowboystamme cowboyistamme
illative cowboyhimme
cowboyhymme 		cowboyihimme
adessive cowboyllamme cowboyillamme
ablative cowboyltamme cowboyiltamme
allative cowboyllemme cowboyillemme
essive cowboynamme cowboyinamme
translative cowboyksemme cowboyiksemme
abessive cowboyttamme cowboyittamme
instructive — —
comitative — cowboyinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative cowboynne cowboynne
accusative nom. cowboynne cowboynne
gen. cowboynne
genitive cowboynne cowboyidenne
cowboyittenne
partitive cowboytanne cowboyitanne
inessive cowboyssanne cowboyissanne
elative cowboystanne cowboyistanne
illative cowboyhinne
cowboyhynne 		cowboyihinne
adessive cowboyllanne cowboyillanne
ablative cowboyltanne cowboyiltanne
allative cowboyllenne cowboyillenne
essive cowboynanne cowboyinanne
translative cowboyksenne cowboyiksenne
abessive cowboyttanne cowboyittanne
instructive — —
comitative — cowboyinenne
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative cowboynsa cowboynsa
accusative nom. cowboynsa cowboynsa
gen. cowboynsa
genitive cowboynsa cowboyidensa
cowboyittensa
partitive cowboytaan
cowboytansa 		cowboyitaan
cowboyitansa
inessive cowboyssaan
cowboyssansa 		cowboyissaan
cowboyissansa
elative cowboystaan
cowboystansa 		cowboyistaan
cowboyistansa
illative cowboyhinsa
cowboyhynsa 		cowboyihinsa
adessive cowboyllaan
cowboyllansa 		cowboyillaan
cowboyillansa
ablative cowboyltaan
cowboyltansa 		cowboyiltaan
cowboyiltansa
allative cowboylleen
cowboyllensa 		cowboyilleen
cowboyillensa
essive cowboynaan
cowboynansa 		cowboyinaan
cowboyinansa
translative cowboykseen
cowboyksensa 		cowboyikseen
cowboyiksensa
abessive cowboyttaan
cowboyttansa 		cowboyittaan
cowboyittansa
instructive — —
comitative — cowboyineen
cowboyinensa

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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compounds

Further reading

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French

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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cowboy m (plural cowboys, feminine cowgirl)

  1. (rare) post-1990 spelling of cow-boy

Hungarian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈkovboj], [ˈkɒuboj][1]
  • Hyphenation: cow‧boy
  • Rhymes: -oj

Noun

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cowboy (plural cowboyok)

  1. cowboy

Declension

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Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative cowboy cowboyok
accusative cowboyt cowboyokat
dative cowboynak cowboyoknak
instrumental cowboyjal cowboyokkal
causal-final cowboyért cowboyokért
translative cowboyjá cowboyokká
terminative cowboyig cowboyokig
essive-formal cowboyként cowboyokként
essive-modal — —
inessive cowboyban cowboyokban
superessive cowboyon cowboyokon
adessive cowboynál cowboyoknál
illative cowboyba cowboyokba
sublative cowboyra cowboyokra
allative cowboyhoz cowboyokhoz
elative cowboyból cowboyokból
delative cowboyról cowboyokról
ablative cowboytól cowboyoktól
non-attributive
possessive – singular 		cowboyé cowboyoké
non-attributive
possessive – plural 		cowboyéi cowboyokéi
Possessive forms of cowboy
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. cowboyom cowboyaim
2nd person sing. cowboyod cowboyaid
3rd person sing. cowboya cowboyai
1st person plural cowboyunk cowboyaink
2nd person plural cowboyotok cowboyaitok
3rd person plural cowboyuk cowboyaik

Derived terms

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Compound words

References

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  1. ^ Krisztina Laczkó, Attila Mártonfi (2006), Helyesírás [Orthography], Budapest: Osiris Kiadó, →ISBN, page 560

Further reading

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  • cowboy in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology

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From English cowboy.

Noun

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cowboy m (definite singular cowboyen, indefinite plural cowboyer, definite plural cowboyene)

  1. a cowboy (most senses)
    cowboyer og indianere ― cowboys and Indians

References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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From English cowboy.

Noun

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cowboy m (definite singular cowboyen, indefinite plural cowboyar, definite plural cowboyane)

  1. a cowboy (most senses)
    cowboyar og indianarar ― cowboys and Indians

References

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Portuguese

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Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

    Noun

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    cowboy m (plural cowboys)

    1. alternative spelling of caubói / cobói

    Further reading

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    Romanian

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    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

    Noun

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    cowboy m (plural cowboy)

    1. cowboy

    Declension

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    singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative-accusative cowboy cowboyul cowboy cowboyi
    genitive-dative cowboy cowboyului cowboy cowboylor
    vocative cowboyule cowboylor

    Spanish

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    Etymology

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      Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      cowboy m (plural cowboys)

      1. cowboy

      Usage notes

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      According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

      Swedish

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      Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
      Wikipedia sv
       
      en cowboy

      Etymology

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      Borrowed from English cowboy.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      cowboy c

      1. a cowboy
        Synonyms: (humorous) cowboysare, (humorous) kobojsare

      Declension

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      Declension of cowboy
      nominative genitive
      singular indefinite cowboy cowboys
      definite cowboyen cowboyens
      plural indefinite cowboys, cowboyer cowboys, cowboyers
      definite cowboyerna cowboyernas

      Derived terms

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      See also

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      References

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