ENGLISH
REFERENCE

latino

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ɫɑˈtinoʊ// UK //lætˈiːnəʊ// lati·no

n. a person living in the United States who comes from or has family from Latin America. It is a broad term for people with roots in Spanish-speaking or Portuguese-speaking countries in the Americas.

n. a person of Latin American origin or descent, especially one living in the United States. Often used as a collective identifier for a diverse demographic with shared linguistic or cultural ties to the region.


SIMPLE

He is a proud Latino who grew up in Los Angeles.

CONTEXTUAL

The festival celebrates the diverse traditions of the Latino community through music, dance, and traditional food.

COMPLEX

Sociologists often examine how the Latino identity intersects with various national origins, such as Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Colombian, to create a complex cultural landscape within urban centers.

Synonyms
Origin

American English, first attested in the 1960s for a person of Spanish-speaking or Latin American ancestry (notably Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban), originally an (informal) shortened form of Spanish latinoamericano (“Latin American”, adjective). Its appearance probably coincided with the colloquial use of Anglo (for a person of British or White US descent) and Afro (for a person of Black or African US descent).

Usage

The term is gendered; 'Latino' refers to a male or is used as a generic plural, while 'Latina' refers to a female.

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