caballero

See also: Caballero

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish caballero. Doublet of cavalier and chevalier.

Noun

caballero (plural caballeros or caballeroes)

1. A horseman, particularly in the Latin American context
   • 2007 January 26, Roberta Smith, “Outside In”, in New York Times‎:

     Here we usually find the caballero aiming his pistol in one direction while pointing his reined-in steed in another, as if ready to wheel and dash to safety.

2. A Spanish gentleman.
3. A Spanish line dance.

Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish cavallero, inherited from Late Latin caballārius, from Latin caballus. Equivalent to caballo +‎ -ero. Cognate with English cavalier.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kabaˈʝeɾo/ [ka.β̞aˈʝe.ɾo]

• IPA^(key): /kabaˈʝeɾo/ [ka.β̞aˈʝe.ɾo] (most of Spain and Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /kabaˈʎeɾo/ [ka.β̞aˈʎe.ɾo] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /kabaˈʃeɾo/ [ka.β̞aˈʃe.ɾo] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /kabaˈʒeɾo/ [ka.β̞aˈʒe.ɾo] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾo
• Syllabification: ca‧ba‧lle‧ro

Noun

caballero m (plural caballeros, feminine caballera, feminine plural caballeras)

1. horseman

   Synonym: jinete

2. knight; cavalier
3. gentleman

   Synonym: señor

4. (especially South America) cowboy

   Synonyms: vaquero, (Argentina) gaucho, (Mexico) charro, (Chile) huaso

Derived terms

• caballería
• caballeriza
• Caballero
• caballero andante
• caballero de alarde
• caballero de conquista
• caballero de cuantía
• caballero de fortuna
• caballero de mohatra
• caballero de premia
• caballero de trinchera
• caballero del hábito
• caballero en plaza
• caballero gran cruz
• caballeros templarios
• damas y caballeros
• espuela de caballero
• poderoso caballero es don dinero

Descendants

• → Portuguese: cavalheiro

See also

• dama

Further reading

• “caballero”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024