buscadero

(Sp. model spelled same [buskaSéro] < buscar 'to seek' (of uncertain origin) and the Spanish suffix -dero; loosely, 'seeker, searcher')

   According to Adams and Blevins, this term originally referred to a lawman with a gun, and later to any gunman. It may have originally referred to a 'bounty hunter,' although this cannot be confirmed and the modern Spanish equivalent is cazarrecompensas. Spanish sources do not reference this term, although they do reference the root and suffix separately. The closest Spanish word is buscador, which means 'searcher' or 'seeker,' but does not denote a lawman or gunman.