buckwagon

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See also: buck-wagon

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Afrikaans bok (buck; goat) and English wagon. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests a possible derivation from Middle English bouk (belly) or Old English buc (buck; deer).

Noun

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buckwagon (plural buckwagons)

  1. (South Africa) A strong wagon with a frame over the wheels used for hauling goods.
    • 1871, "An Act to Promote the Construction of a Bridge or Bridges over the Orange River", Cape of Good Hope:
      Upon each loaded buck-wagon, drawn by any sort of animals, not exceeding sixteen in number £0.17s.6d.
  2. (US) A buckboard; a wagon for personal transport as well as transporting goods.
    • 1880, B.B. Simms, “Post-Office Deficiencies § Texas”, in United States congressional serial set, page 304:
      ...while on the remaining days of the week a two-horse buck-wagon or hack is used.

References

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  • "buckwagon" in Noah Webster, Chauncey Goodrich, Noah Porter, and James Hadley. An American Dictionary of the English Language, 1864
  • "buck, n.5" in Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
  • buckwagon”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.