hispanic
n. countablen. a person who lives in the United States and has a family background from a Spanish-speaking country.
n. a person of Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin American descent, particularly one living in the United States.
The local community center offers many programs for the Hispanic population.
The census data shows that the Hispanic community is one of the fastest-growing demographics in the region.
Sociologists often distinguish between the terms Hispanic and Latino, noting that the former emphasizes linguistic heritage while the latter focuses on geographic origins in Latin America.
From Latin hispānicus, from Hispānia (“Iberia”) + -icus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Capitalized in all contexts. Often used as a collective noun or an adjective to describe cultural heritage.
Last updated May 2, 2026