Latino

or la·ti·no

[ luh-tee-noh, la- ]

adjective

1. of or relating to people of Latin American origin or descent, especially those living in the United States: Latino audiences; Compare Hispanic ( def 3 ).

   Latino business owners;

   Latino audiences;

   the Latino community;

   Latino immigrants.

noun

, plural La·ti·nos.

1. a person of Latin American origin or descent, especially one living in the United States: Compare Hispanic ( def 4 ).

   a growing population of Latinos in the Midwest.

Latino

/ læˈtiːnəʊ /

noun

1. an inhabitant of the US who is of Latin American origin

Derived Forms

• Laˈtina, noun:feminine

Word History and Origins

Origin of Latino¹

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; from Spanish (United States), perhaps by ellipsis from Spanish latinoamericano “Latin American,” equivalent to latino “Latin” (referring to the places or people with Latinate or Romance language in common) + americano “American”

Example Sentences

“But it’s also true that I don’t ... know any Mexican Americans or Latinos that asked us to use significant political capital to make ‘Latinx’ happen.

From Los Angeles Times

Marcela Valdes is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, writing primarily about Latino and Latin American politics and culture.

From New York Times

Analysis also shows that more Latino Catholics voted for Trump than expected, when previously they have tended to lean Democrat.

From BBC

In Moreno Valley, a high school teacher was placed on leave following a racially charged anti-Trump outburst in the classroom where he said that many Latino men who support Trump want to be white.

From Los Angeles Times

The Desperate Housewives star is viewed as a power broker for women and Latinos in Democratic Party politics.

From BBC