caló

noun

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ca·ló | \ kə-ˈlō

Definition of caló

: any of several Spanish argots especially : an argot used by Chicano youths in cities of the U.S. Southwest

History and Etymology for caló

borrowed from Spanish, "argot, speech of the Spanish Roma," borrowed from Iberian Romani kalo "speech of the Roma, black," going back to Old Indo-Aryan *kāla- "black, dark" (whence Sanskrit kālaḥ "black, dark blue"), borrowed from a Dravidian source akin to Kannada kāḷ "blackness," kaḍu "blackness, black," Telugu karu "black"

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