aventurero, -ra (Spanish)
Etymology: From aventura ("adventure") + the suffix -ero ("-er").
Pronunciation: IPA: /aβentuˈɾeɾo/ (Latin America), /aben̪tuˈɾeɾo/ (Spain)
Part of Speech: Adjective and noun (masculine singular; feminine: aventurera; plural: aventureros / aventureras).
Meanings (as per the Real Academia Española – RAE):
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Adjective / Noun: Said of a person who seeks adventures. ("Que busca aventuras.") Used as both adjective and noun. This is the most common meaning, equivalent to adventurous (adj.) or adventurer (n.) in English.
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Adjective / Noun (pejorative): Said of a person of obscure or bad background, without a trade or profession, who tries to gain a social position that does not belong to them through unknown or reproachable means. ("De oscuros o malos antecedentes, sin oficio ni profesión, y que por medios desconocidos o reprobados trata de conquistar en la sociedad un puesto que no le corresponde.") Used mostly as a noun.
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Adjective / Noun (historical): Said of one who voluntarily took part in jousts or tournaments.
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Adjective / Noun (historical): Said of one who voluntarily entered the military and served the king at their own expense.
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Adjective (Cuba): Said of corn, rice, etc., that grows outside its proper cultivation season.
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Adjective (archaic): Said of one who, without obligation, goes to sell foodstuffs or other goods to a place.
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Adjective (archaic): Said of a soldier or body of soldiers of the old militia who were collected indiscriminately and poorly disciplined.
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Noun (masculine, nautical): An aspirant without pay or uniform who alternated on board with midshipmen.
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Noun (masculine, archaic): Caballero aventurero (adventurous knight).
Synonyms (for the pejorative sense): vividor, golfo, oportunista, aprovechado, ambicioso, intrigante, maniobrero.
English equivalents:
- As adjective: adventurous, daring, bold.
- As noun: adventurer, adventuress (feminine).
Example sentences:
- Tienes que ser aventurero para hacer paracaidismo. ("You have to be adventurous to go skydiving.")
- Los aventureros salieron a explorar tierras desconocidas. ("The adventurers set out to explore unknown lands.")
Related words: aventura (adventure), aventurar (to venture), aventuradamente (adventurously).
