Filipinx

or fil·i·pi·nx

[ fil-uh-pee-neks, ‐-pingks ]

adjective

1. of or relating to people of Philippine origin or descent, especially those living in the United States (used to indicate gender-neutrality in place of Filipino or Filipina ):

   a Filipinx singer-songwriter.

noun

, plural Fil·i·pi·nxs [fil-, uh, -, pee, -nek-siz], (especially collectively) Fil·i·pi·nx.

1. a person of Philippine origin or descent, especially one living in the United States (used to indicate gender-neutrality in place of Filipino or Filipina ).

Grammar Note

The word Filipino, upon which Filipinx is based, ultimately comes from Spanish. In Spanish, the -o ending marks the word as masculine. Some speakers exchange the masculine-marked -o endings for gender-neutral -x, especially when using Spanish words in English. However, the Indigenous language Tagalog, upon which the Pilipino language is based, doesn’t have grammatical gender. Pilipino therefore borrowed the word Filipino from Spanish as a gender-neutral term that can refer to any person from the Philippines. For this reason, there is debate on whether changing the ending is necessary. Many in the Philippines use Filipino in all contexts, while some in the United States use Filipinx as a gender-neutral or gender-inclusive alternative, especially in self-reference.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Filipinx¹

First recorded 2010–15; Filipina ( def ) or Filipino ( def ) + x ³( def ) (in the sense “unknown quantity or variable”)