bracero

noun

bra·​ce·​ro brä-ˈser-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce bracero (audio)
-ˈse-(ˌ)rō
plural braceros
: a Mexican laborer admitted to the U.S. especially for seasonal contract labor in agriculture

Examples of bracero in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web During her nomination hearing, Carrillo Ramirez talked about her father, a Mexican immigrant, who arrived in the United States under the bracero program in the late 1950s. Alejandra Molina, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023 His grandfather was sprayed with DDT entering the country to work as a bracero in the 1950s; a great-great-uncle was Santo Toribio Romo, a Catholic martyr killed by anti-clerical government forces in Mexico in the 1920s. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023 His uncle had been a bracero who worked the fields, and as a child, Chacon recalls seeing farmworkers being bused to work. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2023 The family left Michoacan to work in the vineyards under the bracero program. Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2023 The same applies to Ellis Island or the Chinese Exclusion Act or even the bracero program. Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2022 But, as Fausto Ríos says, life as a bracero meant humiliating personal inspections, DDT baths and crawling in scorching heat under the weight of a massive bag of produce. Amy Hubbard, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2022 The old bracero says his heart wants to go on for many years to come. Selene Rivera, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2022 In 2014, Ornelas invited the Silvas and nine other bracero families to a Stanford celebration. Nick Lozito, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bracero.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, laborer, from brazo arm, from Latin bracchium

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bracero was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near bracero

Cite this Entry

“Bracero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bracero. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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