(hĭ-spănˈĭk)
adjective- Of or relating to Spain or Spanish-speaking Latin America.
- Of or relating to a Spanish-speaking people or culture.
noun- A Spanish-speaking person.
- A U.S. citizen or resident of Latin-American or Spanish descent.
Usage Note: Though often used interchangeably in American English,
Hispanic and
Latino are not identical terms, and in certain contexts the choice between them can be significant.
Hispanic, from the Latin word for “Spain,” has the broader reference, potentially encompassing all Spanish-speaking peoples in both hemispheres and emphasizing the common denominator of language among communities that sometimes have little else in common.
Latino—which in Spanish means "Latin" but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word
latinoamericano—refers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American origin. Of the two, only
Hispanic can be used in referring to Spain and its history and culture; a native of Spain residing in the United States is a
Hispanic, not a
Latino, and one cannot substitute
Latino in the phrase
the Hispanic influence on native Mexican cultures without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is of little significance when referring to residents of the United States, most of whom are of Latin American origin and can theoretically be called by either word. • A more important distinction concerns the sociopolitical rift that has opened between
Latino and
Hispanic in American usage. For a certain segment of the Spanish-speaking population,
Latino is a term of ethnic pride and
Hispanic a label that borders on the offensive. According to this view,
Hispanic lacks the authenticity and cultural resonance of
Latino, with its Spanish sound and its ability to show the feminine form
Latina when used of women. Furthermore,
Hispanic—the term used by the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencies—is said to bear the stamp of an Anglo establishment far removed from the concerns of the Spanish-speaking community. While these views are strongly held by some, they are by no means universal, and the division in usage seems as related to geography as it is to politics, with
Latino widely preferred in California and
Hispanic the more usual term in Florida and Texas. Even in these regions, however, usage is often mixed, and it is not uncommon to find both terms used by the same writer or speaker. See Usage Note at
Chicano.
