mestizo
mestizo Lexical Profile
mestizo Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person of mixed racial or ethnic ancestry, especially in Latin America, of combined European (typically Spanish) and Indigenous American descent.
"In the colonial caste system of New Spain, a mestizo occupied a distinct social and legal status between Spanish colonists and Indigenous peoples."
In the Philippines, a person of mixed Filipino and foreign (especially Spanish or Chinese) ancestry.
"During the nineteenth century, many prominent merchants and intellectuals in Manila belonged to the educated mestizo class."
• adjective
Relating to, characteristic of, or denoting people of mixed European and Indigenous American (or Filipino) ancestry, or their blended cultural traditions.
"The region's festive music reflects a vibrant mestizo heritage that blends Spanish guitar traditions with Indigenous rhythms."
Word Nuance & Usage
In Spanish, the term is gendered, with 'mestizo' referring to males or mixed groups and 'mestiza' referring to females; in English, 'mestizo' often serves for all genders, though 'mestiza' is also used specifically for women.
• Rhymes for mestizo
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Spanish 'mestizo', which derives from Late Latin 'mixticius' ('of mixed race'), ultimately from Latin 'mixtus', the past participle of 'miscere' ('to mix').