pendejo

English

Etymology

Borrowing from Spanish pendejo.

Noun

pendejo (plural pendejos)

1. (slang, pejorative) A stupid person.

Usage notes

• Typically only used by Spanish-speaking people.

---

Spanish

Etymology

From a contracted form of Vulgar Latin *pectiniculus, from Latin pecten (“pubis”). Compare Portuguese pentelho.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /penˈde.xo/

Noun

pendejo m (plural pendejos)

1. A pubic hair

See also

• vello púbico m

Noun

pendejo m (plural pendejos, feminine pendeja)

1. (pejorative, vulgar) arsehole, asshole, dirtbag, scumbag
2. (pejorative) dumbass (stupid person).
3. (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) young boy.
4. (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) punk (an adolescent who presumes to be an adult).
5. (Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico) coward.
6. (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, US, Venezuela) dickhead (stupid person).
7. (Bolivia, Peru) smart.

Related terms

• pendejada
• pendejear

See also

• boludo m
• gilipollas m
• tonto
• idiota
• estúpido

Usage notes

• Although in some contexts sonso, bobo, tonto, menso, tarado, idiota, imbécil, estúpido and pendejo may be synonyms, in most contexts they have a different degree of intensity, with sonso having the mildest connotation, increasing in intensity in that rough order, to estúpido and pendejo, which have the most offensive meaning.