mestizo

noun mes·ti·zo \ -(ˌ)zō \

Definition of mestizo

plural mestizos

: a person of mixed blood; specifically : a person of mixed European and American Indian ancestry

Recent Examples of mestizo from the Web

The model has relatively little application elsewhere in Mexico, where the vast majority of the population is of mestizo, or mixed-race, origins.

— patrick j. mcdonnell, latimes.com, "One Mexican town revolts against violence and corruption. Six years in, its experiment is working," 10 July 2017
Even though some of the country’s most iconic freedom fighters and early politicians had African roots, their accomplishments fed a celebration of the broader mestizo culture.

— jonathan blitzer, The New Yorker, "“We Are Not Used to People Thinking We Are Beautiful”," 2 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mestizo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of mestizo

Spanish, from mestizo, adjective, mixed, from Late Latin mixticius, from Latin mixtus, past participle of miscēre to mix — more at mix

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First Known Use: 1582

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