Hispanic

How to spell hispanic

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce hispanic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hispanic mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to Spain or to Spanish-speaking countries and people, especially those of Latin American heritage.
2. nounA person of Spanish-speaking heritage, especially one with roots in Latin America.

Hispanic in a sentence

• adjective

  The census form asked respondents whether they identified as hispanic.

• noun

  The marketing report broke the audience down by age, income, and whether each customer was a hispanic.

• adjective

  The festival celebrated music from across the hispanic world.

• noun

  As a hispanic, she grew up speaking both Spanish and English at home.

Where does hispanic come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin Hispanicus, meaning 'of Hispania', the name the Romans gave to the entire Iberian Peninsula that today contains Spain and Portugal. The root Hispania is itself of uncertain pre-Roman origin, possibly Phoenician, and its precise literal meaning is debated, so scholars treat it cautiously. English first borrowed the adjective in the sixteenth century to describe things connected with ancient Spain. In modern American usage especially, it broadened during the twentieth century to describe people of Spanish-speaking heritage, particularly those with roots in Latin America. The single 's' and the simple '-ic' ending make it less of a trap than its cousin 'Hispaniola', though writers sometimes hesitate over whether to double the 'n'.

How the word is built

• Hispan- (from Latin Hispania, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula)
• -ic (adjective suffix meaning 'relating to')