bauer
n. countablen. a person who works on a farm, especially in older times or in German-speaking areas. It is also a common last name.
n. a person who works the land; a farmer or agricultural labourer. Often used in historical contexts or as a direct loanword from German to describe a specific social class of smallholders.
The bauer worked in the fields from sunrise to sunset.
Historical documents from the region describe the bauer as a central figure in the village's social and economic structure.
* As a German and Jewish surname, from German Bauer (“farmer”). Compare Bower. * Also as a German and Jewish surname, from the obsolete Middle High German noun (ge)būr (“neighbour”), from Old High German bur (“dwelling”).
Often capitalised when referring to the surname; otherwise lowercase in general historical prose.