gringo

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Spanish gringo, from griego (“Greek”), used for anyone who spoke an unintelligible language. Doublet of Greek. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɡɹɪŋɡəʊ/ Rhymes: -ɪŋɡəʊ === Noun === gringo (plural gringos or gringoes) (Hispanic slang, often mildly derogatory) A white person from an English-speaking country, particularly the United States. ==== Synonyms ==== See Thesaurus:white person ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== gringa (female) gringophobia ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === gringo on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === Goring, goring, orging == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from Spanish gringo. === Pronunciation === Rhymes: -ĩɡu Hyphenation: gri‧go === Noun === gringo m (plural gringos, feminine gringa, feminine plural gringas) (Brazil, colloquial) a foreigner, especially one from the Global North and especially one from the United States Synonym: estrangeiro (Rio Grande do Sul, colloquial) someone of (more commonly) Italian or (more rarely) European descent. Synonym: colono === Adjective === gringo (feminine gringa, masculine plural gringos, feminine plural gringas) (Brazil, colloquial) foreign (from another country, especially the United States or another developed one) (Rio Grande do Sul, colloquial) someone of (more commonly) Italian or (more rarely) European descent. Synonym: colono === Usage notes === Unlike English and Spanish gringo, this Portuguese term is not inherently offensive. The usage of gringo varies greatly between speakers and can have a broader meaning if compared to English and Spanish : It can refer to any foreigner — uncommon usage and rarely applies to people of African or Latin American origin. It refers only to Americans — also uncommon. It refers to people from the Global North exclusively, especially from Northern Europe, the US and Canada — the most common use of the term. === References === === Further reading === “gringo”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “gringo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Etymology === Possibly from griego (“Greek”), particularly from the phrase hablar en griego (“to speak Greek”), with a similar connotation to the English phrase it's all Greek to me. Possibly influenced by peregrino (“pilgrim”). Or else due to the ubiquity of the song Green Grow the Lilacs among the men who settled the interior of the American continent. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɡɾinɡo/ [ˈɡɾĩŋ.ɡo] Rhymes: -inɡo Syllabification: grin‧go === Noun === gringo m (plural gringos, feminine gringa, feminine plural gringas) (sometimes derogatory, Latin America) a fair-skinned foreigner whose native language is not Spanish Synonyms: (Spain, Mexico) gabacho, (Spain) guiri (sometimes derogatory, Latin America) an American (a person from the United States), especially a white American. Coordinate terms: angloamericano, estadounidense, norteamericano ==== Derived terms ==== agringar gringo de agua juca (Honduras) Gringolandia, gringolandia f Gringotenango gringuera f (Honduras) ==== Descendants ==== → English: gringo → Japanese: グリンゴ → Portuguese: gringo → Swedish: gringo === See also === chele (Honduras) cholo grencho (Honduras) güero pocho guiri === Further reading === “gringo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 Comprehensive etymology tracing it to before the Mexican–American War == Swedish == === Noun === gringo c a gringo ==== Declension ==== === References === “gringo”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “gringo”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)