cowboy

Etymology

From cow + boy.

noun

1. A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.
   There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up […].” 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock
2. A man who identifies with cowboy culture, including wearing a cowboy hat and being a fan of country and western music.
3. (informal) A person who engages in reckless behavior, especially for the purpose of showing off.
4. (Britain, informal) A dishonest and/or incompetent independent tradesman.
5. (card games, slang) A playing card of king rank.
6. (uncountable) Short for cowboy pool.

verb

1. (intransitive) To work as a cowboy, herding cattle.
   Besides cowboying he worked at a small sawmill that cut logs into "four slabs and a tie" and sold ties to the railroad. 1994, Sherry Robinson, El Malpais, Mt. Taylor, and the Zuni Mountains: a hiking guide and history
   Derwood Bailey cowboyed for 50 cents a day, a noon meal, and a gallon of oats for his horse. 1995, American Cowboy (volume 2, number 4, Nov-Dec 1995, page 26)
   I still had never ridden or cowboyed, and I wanted to learn something about it. I'd been making the damn saddles for years but didn't know how to use them. 2003, C. J. Hadley, Trappings of the Great Basin Buckaroo