Pardos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Describing a dull brownish-gray color often used to characterize certain animals or natural materials ; referring to people of mixed racial ancestry, particularly in Latin American contexts ; identifying a group distinguished by intermediate pigmentation in some ethnographic classifications
2. Indicating a muted brown-gray tone found in various species or objects ; relating to mixed heritage or multiracial communities especially in historical and social studies ; naming individuals or populations with combined racial backgrounds, commonly in colonial Latin America
3. Characterizing an earthy, subdued shade of brown-gray commonly observed in fauna or flora ; denoting culturally and racially mixed groups in some American countries ; specifying persons with diverse ancestries blending European, Indigenous, and African roots in sociological terms

Etymology: "Pardos" is the plural of "pardo," so its history lies in the singular. The root was borrowed from Portuguese "pardao," an older spelling of "pardau," which named a coin. That coin name traces back to Sanskrit "pratāpaḥ," a word meaning power or glory. The Sanskrit word was written on the coins themselves, and the Portuguese name for the coin was adapted from it.

Synonyms: pard, leopard, panther, big cat