mestizo

noun

mes·​ti·​zo me-ˈstē-(ˌ)zō How to pronounce mestizo (audio)
plural mestizos
: a person of mixed blood
specifically : a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry compare mestiza

Examples of mestizo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Is there a risk that this conception of Latino identity as mestizo replicates mainstream Latino erasure of Black or Indigenous people who don’t identify as mixed? Jean Guerrero, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2023 The expedition, composed of a young Chilean mestizo, an American mercenary, and led by a reckless British lieutenant, soon turns into a ‘civilizing’ raid. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 May 2023 Creoles, the descendants of enslaved Africans, make up roughly 24 percent of today’s population, while the majority of Belizeans are Spanish-speaking mestizo, a mixture of Maya and Spanish. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 7 May 2022 The story of The Settlers follows three horsemen — a young Chilean mestizo, an American mercenary, and led by a reckless British lieutenant — hired by a wealthy Chilean landowner to mark out the perimeter of his extensive property and open a route to the Atlantic Ocean across vast Patagonia. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 In time, many conquistadors married Taíno women, combining the genes of the New World and Old World to create a new mestizo, or mixed, population, which took on Creole characteristics with the arrival of African slaves in the 16th century. Robert M. Poole, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2011

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mestizo was in 1598

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mestizo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mestizo. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

mestizo

noun
mes·​ti·​zo me-ˈstē-zō How to pronounce mestizo (audio)
plural mestizos
: a person having mixed European and Indigenous American ancestors

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