Mexicano

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A member of the population or citizens of Mexico, typically characterized by a mix of indigenous and Spanish heritage
2. Relating to the culture, traditions, or cuisine originating from the nation of Mexico
3. Describing the language spoken by many in Mexico, primarily derived from Spanish with indigenous influences

Etymology: The word is a Spanish adjective and noun, "mexicano," and its English cousin "Mexican" is a doublet of it: two forms of one source that reached English by different routes. The Spanish form keeps the older, more direct link to the name of the Mexica, the Nahuatl-speaking people of the Valley of Mexico, whose name in turn gave rise to the country's name. In Spanish the form simply names anything from Mexico, including its people and its language. Because the word came into English from Spanish rather than through the usual English channel, it still carries that Spanish spelling and pronunciation when used in English texts about Mexican culture. The English "Mexican" has long been the everyday form, so "mexicano" tends to appear where a writer wants to signal the Spanish original, for instance in the phrase for the language itself, "mexicano," which many readers meet as a borrowing rather than a regular English word.

Synonyms: Mexican