rfc|there's a lot of stuff in the english def that belongs in usage notes or spanish usage notes or etymology or spanish etymology etc
English
Pronunciation
Noun
gringo m|f, gringa f (plural: gringos m|f, gringas f)
- italbrac-colon|pejorative A Caucasian foreigner such as an American. The term is used only in Latin America. Spaniards use the term yanqui for Americans.
Category:English borrowed words
Portuguese
Etymology
In both Spanish and Portuguese, a gringo is a foreigner. It is believed to originate from griego, particularly from the phrase hablar en griego, �to speak in Greek�, with a similar connotation to the English phrase �it�s all Greek to me�. In this regard, a gringo is simply someone who speaks an unintelligible language.
Folk etymology suggests that it stems from the English words �Green� and �Grow� in the song �Green Grow the Lilacs� sung by American soldiers during the Mexican-American War.
After the w:Mexican-American War|Mexican-American War and related tensions between the United States and Mexico, this term began to imply United States origin. However, in most of Latin America, it still simply means �foreigner�; it has been applied for example to Italians living in Argentina, or even Brazilians in Spanish speaking countries, or vice versa.
Noun
gringo
- #Noun|gringo
- A slang term given to very cool objects. italbrac|Brazil
Spanish
Noun
es-noun-mf|feminine=gringa
- #Noun|gringo
Derived terms
gringo de agua juca italbrac|Honduras
Gringolandia, gringolandia f
Gringotenango
gringuera f italbrac|Honduras
See also
chele italbrac|Honduras
cholo
grencho italbrac|Honduras
güero
pocho
Category:Ethnic slurs
fr:gringo
pl:gringo
pt:gringo
ru:gringo
fi:gringo
vi:gringo
zh:gringo
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