gringo

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Related terms 1.4 Anagrams 2 Portuguese 2.1 Etymology 2.2 Noun 3 Spanish 3.1 Etymology 3.2 Noun 3.2.1 Usage notes 3.2.2 Derived terms 3.3 See also 3.4 External links

[edit] English

Wikipedia

[edit] Etymology

From Spanish gringo < griego (“‘Greek’”), used for anyone who spoke an unintelligible language.

Check out a fuller discussion at Wikipedia. The word appears in an early 18th-century Diccionario Castellano, and was used in Spain to refer to anyone who spoke an unintelligible language, and probably came from the word for Greek - griego.

[edit] Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡəʊ

[edit] Noun

gringo (plural gringos)

1. (Mexico, sometimes pejorative, South America, slang) A Caucasian-race foreigner.

[edit] Related terms

• gringa (female form of gringo) plural: gringas

[edit] Anagrams

• Anagrams of gginor
• goring

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[edit] Portuguese

[edit] Etymology

From Spanish gringo

[edit] Noun

gringo

1. gringo
2. A slang term given to very cool objects. (Brazil)

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[edit] Spanish

[edit] Etymology

• Originally in Spanish a gringo was a foreigner. It is believed to originate from griego, particularly from the phrase hablar en griego (“‘to speak in Greek’”) (with a similar connotation to the English phrase it's all Greek to me). In this regard, a gringo is simply someone who speaks an unintelligible language. There are many folk etymologies for this word involving American soldiers during the Mexican-American war. Some say it comes from “Green Grow” in either of the songs “Green Grow the Lilacs” or “O Green Grow the Rushes” sung by US troops. Some also put forth that it was from “Green go!” spoken by natives trying to send US troops home ("green" referring to the soldiers' uniform colors). To the contrary, the US troops actually used blue uniforms at the time, and there is much evidence the term was used before this war.

• After the Mexican-American War and related tensions between the United States and Mexico, this term began to imply United States origin. However, in most of Latin America, it still simply means “foreigner”; it has been applied for example to Italians living in Argentina, or even Brazilians in Spanish speaking countries, or vice versa.

[edit] Noun

gringo m. (feminine gringa, masculine plural gringos, feminine plural gringas)

1. A Caucasian foreigner such as an American

[edit] Usage notes

• The term is used only in Latin America. Spaniards use the term yanqui for Americans.

[edit] Derived terms

• gringo de agua juca (Honduras)
• Gringolandia, gringolandia f.
• Gringotenango
• gringuera f. (Honduras)

[edit] See also

• chele (Honduras)
• cholo
• grencho (Honduras)
• güero
• pocho

[edit] External links

• Comprehensive etymology tracing it to before the Mexican-American war