[buck] n, pl bucks [ME, fr. OE bucca stag, he-goat; akin to OHG boc he-goat, MIr bocc] (bef. 12c) 1 or pl buck : a male animal; esp: a male deer or antelope
2. a: a male human being: man b: a dashing fellow: dandy 3 or pl buck : antelope
4. a: buckskin; also: an article (as a shoe) made of buckskin b (1): dollar 3b (2): a sum of money esp. to be gained "make a quick ~"; also: money--usu. used in pl.
5. [short for sawbuck sawhorse] a: a supporting rack or frame b: a short thick leather-covered block for gymnastic vaulting
[2]buck vt (1750) 1 a archaic: [1]butt b: oppose, resist "~ing the system"
2: to throw (as a rider) by bucking
3: to charge into (as the opponent's line in football)
4. a: to pass esp. from one person to another b: to move or load (as heavy objects) esp. with mechanical equipment ~ vi 1 of a horse or mule: to spring into the air with the back arched
2: to charge against something (as an obstruction) 3 a: to move or react jerkily b: to refuse assent: balk
4: to strive for advancement sometimes without regard to ethical behavior "~ing for a promotion" -- buck.er n [3]buck n (ca. 1877): an act or instance of bucking [4]buck n [short for earlier buckhorn knife] (1865) 1: an object formerly used in poker to mark the next player to deal; broadly: a token used as a mark or reminder
2: responsibility--used esp. in the phrases pass the buck and the buck stops here [5]buck adj [prob. fr. [1]buck] (1918): of the lowest grade within a military category "~ private" [6]buck adv [origin unknown] (1928): stark "~ naked"