"caballo realengo"

Question

A word from the plains of Colombia and Venezuela: "caballo realengo." It appears in song lyrics, and a friend used it writing me from Colombia, about a horse. Here is the quote:

....esta es la primera vez que ensillo a quitapesares, el caballo mas realengo que habita en estos lugares.....

I translate "This is the first time I have saddled quitapesares, the (wildest) horse around here."

The machine says "ownerless" or "idle, free, unattached". I'm guessing woildest" would be the right translation in context.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Answer 1

http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=realengo

realengo, ga.

(De real2).

1. adj. Dicho de un pueblo: Que no era de señorío ni de las órdenes.

2. adj. Dicho de un terreno: Perteneciente al Estado.

3. adj. Col., P. Rico y Ven. holgazán.

4. adj. Méx., P. Rico, R. Dom. y Ven. Dicho especialmente de un animal: Que no tiene dueño.

5. m. ant. patrimonio real.

? V.

bienes de realengo

holgazán, na.

(Quizá del ár. hisp. kaslán, y este del ár. clás. kasl?n, infl. por holgar; cf. gall. lacazán).

1. adj. Dicho de una persona: Vagabunda y ociosa, que no quiere trabajar. U. t. c. s.

? V.

I might have chosen untamed in your context, but wild I think works. Just my opinion.

Thanks, bosqueredoble.You are right, "untamed" is better than wild. Realengo appears to derive from royal ownership of the otherwise ownerless. I have another question relating to ownership, the meaning of "dueño" in romantic context, separate entry... - hharmony, Sep 7, 2014