English Reference

Word

diego

Phoneticsdiego

/diˈeɪɡoʊ/

Definitions

01a name

A1

n. a common Spanish name for a man.

n. a common Spanish male given name, equivalent to the English name James.

“Diego is a very popular name in many Spanish-speaking countries.”

“The artist Diego Rivera is famous for his large murals that helped establish the Mexican mural movement in international art.”

02offensive slur

C2

n. a very rude and offensive word for a person who speaks Spanish.

n. a derogatory ethnic slur directed at Spanish speakers, especially those of Latin American origin.

“The character in the old movie used a cruel slur when he called the man a diego.”

“The use of ethnic epithets like 'diego' in historical literature reflects the deep-seated prejudices of that specific era.”

Slang · Vulgar

Teaching tip

This sense is highly offensive and considered a slur; learners should never use it and should be aware of its derogatory nature if encountered in older texts.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish Diego, from an Iberian Didacus, of uncertain origin.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference