Definition of "picaro" []

• A rogue or adventurer. Also called picaroon. (noun)
• The main character in a picaresque work when that character is a man or boy. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Since the root meaning of "picaro" is "rogue," if we were to demand of such a character that he/she be a model of propriety, we would be denying the picaresque form its motivating agency."
• "The picaresque story -- derived from the term identifying the protagonist of such stories, the "picaro" -- was introduced by Spanish writers of the 16th and 17th centuries, and is essentially a journey narrative in which the picaro, usually a rogueish character, embarks on a journey in which, literally, one thing happens after another."
• "He is a real "picaro" and would use it in a situation like ..."