Mescalero

American  

[mes-kuh-lair-oh] / ˌmɛs kəˈlɛər oʊ /

noun

Mescaleros plural

1. a member of an Apache tribe that originally inhabited northern Mexico and the southwestern United States east of the Rio Grande, intermarried with the Chiricahua and Lipan, and that is presently located in New Mexico.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Mescaleros
  plural
• Mescalero
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Mescalero

First recorded in 1830–35; from American Spanish Mescalero (adjective and noun) “(person, people) of the mescal” (several species of agave being a staple food for these people), equivalent to Spanish mescal mescal ( def. ) + -ero from Latin -ārius -ary ( def. )

Example Sentences

Several people were still unaccounted for, according to the governor, who had declared a state of emergency in Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation because of the fires.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024

“The food that we serve tells a story,” said Leah Sainz-Jones, an ʔálʔal Café barista, who is a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe in Arizona.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2023

Five of the 18 suspects facing federal charges were members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2015

We entered Mescalero Canyon, where the shadows of circling turkey vultures moved across high rock walls and the descending, melancholy song of the canyon wren echoed overhead.

From Washington Post

Peso’s a Mescalero Indian, you know, chief of police at the agency.”

From Bransford of Rainbow Range Originally Published under the title of Bransford in Arcadia, or, The Little Eohippus by Rhodes, Eugene Manlove