Rancher

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person involved in the cultivation and management of a large property specifically designed for raising animals for food or other products
2. An individual who owns or manages a large area of land primarily used for raising livestock such as cattle or sheep
3. Someone responsible for running a wide tract of land where animals are bred and cared for

Etymology: The word "ranch" came into English from Spanish "rancho," a term for a camp or a group of men sharing a meal, and the Spanish word itself is rooted in the idea of a shared mess. Its use in the sense of a large livestock farm spread through the American West, where Spanish-speaking settlers in Mexico and the Southwest had long run cattle on sprawling estates. The English-speaking newcomers adopted the word for these holdings, and "rancher" simply means one who runs such a place. The ending "-er" is the most ordinary part of the word. It is an English agent suffix, attached to "ranch" to name the person who works or manages the property, and it descends from Old English "-ere," which in turn traces back through Latin "-arius," a suffix meaning one connected with or working at something. The same pattern produced words like "farmer," "baker," and "miner," all built on the same principle of naming someone by their occupation.

Synonyms: farmer, cattleman, stockman, herder, agriculturist