mosquetero

musketeer

noun mos-keh-TEH-rroh Rare

Origin: From French mousquetaire, itself from mousquet (musket).

Usage Note

Mosquetero in historical contexts refers to a 17th-century soldier armed with a musket, and culturally it is indelibly linked to Dumas's Los tres mosqueteros. In Golden Age Spanish theatre, mosqueteros were the groundlings — standing audience members in the yard — whose noisy approval or disapproval could make or break a play. The feminine mosquetera is rarely used; the role was historically male.

Examples

"Los mosqueteros defendieron al rey."

Natural Translation

The musketeers defended the king.

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