Mescalero

American  

[mes-kuh-lair-oh] / ˌmɛs kəˈlɛər oʊ /

noun

plural

Mescaleros,

plural

Mescalero

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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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

From the displaced Mescalero Apache inhabitants, there are agave-roasting pits.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2016

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

From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2015

The Mescalero reservation, midway between the Rio Grande and the Pecos, contains some 570,000 acres, upon which are the Mescaleros and some other smaller bands, to the number of about 1,100.

From Descriptive Catalogue of Photographs of North American Indians by Jackson, W. H.