coureur de bois
[ koo-rœr duh bwah ]
/ ku rœr də ˈbwɑ /
noun, plural cou·reurs de bois [koo-rœr duh bwah] /ku rœr də ˈbwɑ/. French.
a French or French-Indian trapper of North America, especially of Canada.
Origin of coureur de bois
literally, runner, hunter of (the) woods
Words nearby coureur de bois
courante,
courantyne,
courbaril,
courbet,
courbevoie,
coureur de bois,
courgette,
courie,
courier,
courlan,
courland
Example sentences from the Web for coureur de bois
Priest and seigneur, habitant and coureur-de-bois were one and all difficult to fit into accepted English ways.
The Canadian Dominion |Oscar D. SkeltonI was prepared to encounter the other coureur-de-bois, and there he was, ferret-face peering and sniffing at us as we approached.
Cardigan |Robert W. ChambersI want it at once—one with the long hair of a French-Canadian coureur-de-bois.
The World For Sale, Complete |Gilbert Parker
British Dictionary definitions for coureur de bois
coureur de bois
/ (French kurœr də bwa) /
noun plural coureurs de bois (kurœr də bwa)
Canadian history
a French Canadian woodsman or Métis who traded with Indians for furs
Word Origin for coureur de bois
Canadian French: trapper (literally: wood-runner)