Gringo Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How To Use It

If you are going to be traveling throughout other countries, it’s important to know the word gringo. This is gringo’s meaning and where it comes from!

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If you’re someone who loves to travel, gringo is an essential word to know. If you ever find yourself on a trip to Latin America or Spain, it is a word that you will likely hear a fair amount. 

Understanding gringo will help you communicate more effectively and know when Latin Americans are talking to you. At the end of the day, when you’re a foreigner in a country, it’s essential to know how to operate respectfully and knowledgeably inside other cultures! 

This is what gringo means, its etymological origins, and how you can use this knowledge to help yourself in your travels. Even if you don’t understand any language other than English, knowing a few words in another language can help you get around much more effectively! 

What Does Gringo Mean?

While the English language dictionary does have a definition for gringo, its origins are found in Spanish. Gringo or gringito refers to someone foreign within Spain or Latin America, especially Americans, Australians, or English people. 

Fundamentally speaking, gringo is typically used to describe any non-Hispanic person. It can be pronounced by simply putting the words “green” and “go” together to say “green-go.” You may also hear it used in its feminine form gringa or gringita.

This term is commonly used within Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, Panama, or other central and southern American countries. In many circumstances, the word is used disparagingly. In other cases, it is simply used sarcastically to describe fair-skinned foreigners who found their way to a different country. 

While there is a generally negative association with the world, it has been incorporated into slang as a whole.

Where Does the Word Gringo Come From?

While the modern use of the word gringo is found in Spanish, the word’s origins are Greek. Like English, Spanish is a romance language. This means a lot of its syntax comes from Latin, which itself stems from Greek. The steady flow and influence of past languages on new ones is a fascinating part of linguistics and can help explain why so many languages are so similar. 

The original origin of the word is in the Greek griego, or “stranger.” The word slowly transitioned into the Latin graecus, which also meant stranger. Over time, the influences of Latin and Greek on language created the alteration of griego, gringo. The first historical use of the word is in the 1786 Castilian Dictionary, which dates the term as far back as 1700s Spain. 

The Word Gringo in Historical Use

One theory about the origin of gringo is that it came from the 18th century and that griego initially meant “greek” in Spanish. For a long time, people who spoke Spanish would use the word as a stand-in for describing something that they didn’t understand. 

This concept is very similar to the English phrase “it’s Greek to me.” As a whole, this was used to describe American soldiers, fair-skinned people, and immigrants that spoke with language that was unfamiliar to people. 

Following the Mexican-American War, people in Central America, including the Peruvians, Ecuadorians, and Mexican army, started calling members of the American Army gringos. Another theory about the word’s origin is that the American army wore green coats, so the phrase “green go home” became popular amongst the Central Americans.

The words “green grow” have found a lot of use in poetry over the years, in works of art like “Green Grow the Lilacs” and “Green Grow the Rushes.” These were famous works that detailed the Mexican experiences in the war and were turned into popular songs over time. 

What Does the Word Gringo Mean Today?

The word Gringo has a lot of implications in the modern world. It is often used to describe someone who doesn’t fit neatly into how native people act or look. 

While the relationships between North America and Central America have improved over time, there is still subliminal distaste throughout Central America for people they would call gringos. 

There are many other places where the word gringo has found a home. One example is a food in Mexican cuisine, which has become known as a “gringa.” It is a flour tortilla with pork, cheese, and occasionally salsa de chile. The food itself is very light looking outside due to the very light flour typically used. 

Conclusion

The word Gringo pops up in a lot of places in the modern world. It’s one of the most famous Spanish loanwords in the English language. It has made a home in many American cultures simply because American and Mexican cultures have a lot of places where they cross over. 

Due to its varied uses globally, gringo isn’t necessarily an insult. While its actual usage is fairly discouraged around most areas in the United States and Mexico, it has a slang nature that allows it to be used for communal and cultural reasons. 

As with all words, make sure that you understand the context and purposes of the words you are using, and you should be fine! Language is a constantly shifting and moving practice, so make sure you know how to use your words with as much context as possible! 

Sources: 

  1. Gringo definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
  2. GRINGO English Definition and Meaning | Lexico.com 
  3. Gringo Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com