Cowgirl

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkaʊˌɡɝl/

Definitions

1. A female ranch worker who tends cattle and performs livestock management duties, or a female participant in rodeo events and western entertainment
2. A woman engaged in managing cattle and ranch activities, or one who takes part in rodeo competitions and related performances
3. A female involved in the care of livestock on a farm, and also one who competes in rodeos and showcases western culture

Etymology: "Cowgirl" is a plain compound: "cow" joined to "girl," with the sense of a girl or young woman who works with cattle. The pairing is transparent, so the interest lies in how the meaning stretched. The "girl" half, in its older English sense, could mean any young person of either sex, and "cow" is the ordinary word for the female of domestic cattle, so the compound began as a literal description of a young woman tending cows. The word has since moved well beyond the farm. The same pattern produced "cowboy," and "cowgirl" came to name a female participant in rodeo events and western entertainment, where the work of herding cattle became a performance. A ranch hand and a rodeo rider now share the one term, even though many people who use it have never handled livestock.

Synonyms: ranch woman, cowhand, wrangler, rancher, cowpoke