bozal

See also: Bozal

English

Etymology

From Spanish bozal (“recently-imported slave; noseband”). Doublet of bossale and bosal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /boʊˈzæl/, /boʊˈsæl/
• Rhymes: -æl

Noun

bozal (plural bozals)

1. (historical) A (black) slave recently brought to a (European, especially Spanish) colony from Africa.
2. (uncommon) Alternative form of bosal (“noseband on a horse”).
   • 2005, Lee Ziegler, Easy-Gaited Horses: Gentle, humane methods for training and riding gaited pleasure horses, Storey Publishing, →ISBN, page 54:

     The more tightly these nosebands are attached, the more the horse is likely to raise his head and nose. For ordinary pleasure riding, attach this equipment to allow one or two fingers sideways between the bozal and the underside of the jaw.

Synonyms

• salt water slave, bossale (slave born in Africa, especially in a French colony)

Adjective

bozal (not comparable)

1. (historical) Of a slave, recently brought to a colony from Africa.

See also

• creole, Creole
• Ladino

Spanish

Etymology

From bozo (“muzzle”) +‎ -al, from Medieval Latin *buccĕus (“relating or belonging to the mouth”). See bucca for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /boˈθal/ [boˈθal] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /boˈsal/ [boˈsal] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Costa Rica):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: bo‧zal

Noun

bozal m (plural bozales)

1. a muzzle; device to stop an animal from biting
2. a noseband, usually on a horse bridle or halter
3. a bozal or bossale

Derived terms

• embozalar

Adjective

bozal m or f (masculine and feminine plural bozales)

1. wild, untamed
2. (historical) (of a black slave) recently-arrived (in a colony), having been born in Africa
3. ignorant, simpleminded

Related terms

• bozo

Descendants

• → Portuguese: boçal

Further reading

• “bozal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025