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spic

Pronunciation: /ˈspɪk/

The English word “spic” has 2 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. Synonym of Latino, an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent.
  2. Synonym of Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent.

Etymology

First attested in this spelling in the 1910s, from earlier spig, spiggoty, spikity, generally taken to derive from a (stereotype of a) Hispanic pronunciation of "(no) speak d(e) English" (especially as used by the laborers who dug the Panama Canal). There are also later (1960s) suggestions that the term referred instead to Italians and derives from spaghetti, but there is little to back this up.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.