bronco

See also: bronco-

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish bronco (“rough”), 19th c. which in Mexican usage also describes a horse that has not been broken and is still wild.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɑŋkoʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɒŋkəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒŋkəʊ

Noun

bronco (plural broncos)

1. A horse of western North America that is wild or not fully broken.

   Synonyms: bronc, broncho

   • 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “19”, in Babbitt:

     Swollen with greatness, slightly afraid lest the noble blood of Nottingham change its mind and leave him at any street corner, Babbitt paraded with Sir Gerald Doak to the movie palace and in silent bliss sat beside him, trying not to be too enthusiastic, lest the knight despise his adoration of six-shooters and broncos.

Derived terms

• broncobuster
• bucking bronco

 

Translations

horse that is wild or not fully broken

• Apache:

  Western Apache: łį́į́ʼ hadikʼéké

• German: ungezähmtes Pferd n, halbwildes Pferd n

See also

• mustang

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbron.ko/
• Rhymes: -onko
• Hyphenation: brón‧co

Etymology 1

Perhaps from Late Latin brunchus.

Noun

bronco m (plural bronchi)

1. (literary) a thorny branch

Derived terms

• sbroncare

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Late Latin bronchus, from Ancient Greek βρόγχος (brónkhos, “throat”).

Noun

bronco m (plural bronchi)

1. (anatomy) bronchus, bronchial tube

Derived terms

• bronchite
• bronco-
• broncogeno
• ventrobronco

 

Further reading

• bronco¹ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• bronco² in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɾõ.ku/

• Hyphenation: bron‧co

Adjective

bronco (feminine bronca, masculine plural broncos, feminine plural broncas)

1. obtuse, dumb (intellectually dull)

   Synonyms: obtuso, parvo; see also Thesaurus:idiota

Spanish

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin bruncus, a cross of broccus and truncus (“trunk”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɾonko/ [ˈbɾõŋ.ko]
• Rhymes: -onko
• Syllabification: bron‧co

Adjective

bronco (feminine bronca, masculine plural broncos, feminine plural broncas)

1. harsh, sharp (of a sound)

Related terms

• bronca

 

Descendants

• English: bronco

Further reading

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