Wop

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An offensive and racist slur used to insult a person of Italian or southern European descent, especially an immigrant
2. A derogatory ethnic insult directed at people of Italian or southern European origin, widely regarded as highly offensive
3. Highly offensive slang applied as a demeaning ethnic label to Italians or other southern European immigrants and their descendants

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "wop" is that it began as a friendly greeting. It comes from Neapolitan "guappo", meaning "dude" or "stud", which in turn was borrowed from Spanish "guapo", meaning "bold" or "handsome". Southern Italian immigrants arriving in the United States brought the word with them, and it was used among them as a casual term of address. Its slide into an insult happened in the American English of the early twentieth century. The term was first recorded in New York City around 1906, and from there it spread to Canada, Australia and Britain, by which time it had become a slur aimed at Italians. Popular etymologies claim that "wop" is an acronym, standing for "without passport" or "working off passage". These are backronyms, invented after the fact to explain a word whose real origin lies in the Neapolitan greeting.