maquiladora

noun

ma·​qui·​la·​do·​ra mə-ˌkē-lə-ˈdȯr-ə 

-ˈt͟hȯr-

: a foreign-owned factory in Mexico at which imported parts are assembled by lower-paid workers into products for export

Examples of maquiladora in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For every 10 maquiladora jobs in Juarez, for example, two more positions are created in El Paso, according to U.S. economic development officials. —Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024

Exhibits that showcased developments in the maquiladora industry. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2022

Normally, more than 400,000 people are employed directly and indirectly through maquiladoras. —Allie Morris, Dallas News, 19 Apr. 2020

Workers manufacture car dash covers at a maquiladora owned by the TECMA group in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in 2013. —Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish (planta, empresa) maquiladora, from maquilar to process (material) for a fee, from maquila processing fee, multure, from Spanish, multure, from Arabic dialect makīla measure of grain

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above