casita

American  

[kuh-see-tuh, kah-see-tah] / kəˈsi tə, kɑˈsi tɑ /

noun

• casitas
  plural

1. a small crude dwelling forming part of a shantytown inhabited by Mexican laborers in the southwestern United States.

2. a luxurious bungalow serving as private guest accommodations at a resort hotel, especially in the southwestern United States or Mexico.

3. (especially in the southwestern United States) a small house, especially one built alongside or as an addition to a larger main home.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• casitas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of casita

First recorded in 1920–25; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish, equivalent to cas(a) “house, home” (from Latin ) + -ita diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

casita casitas

He eventually emerged on the roof of a casita identical to the one featured in his Puerto Rican residency’s set, one of two structures that served as stages and tributes to the island’s culture.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2026

The set featured a traditional casita structure, block party salsa dancing, Puerto Rican flags and a mock sugarcane field.

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026

Doc had escaped our casita and made his way to an outdoor wedding reception to congratulate the newlyweds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

In desperation, she cried out for protection for herself and her infant triplets, and a magical candle raised mountains around a charmed casita, where she has raised her family since.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2021

I wonder if now is the time to tell her about all the scary things Oscar has told me or about seeing Tío Toni at the window of his casita.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

Set within Baja California Sur’s private Costa Palmas community, the resort promised 18 beachfront casitas, holistic wellness temples and fine dining.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Think house or apartment sharing to cut back on costs rather than living alone, in accessory dwelling units or ADUs known as casitas, granny flats and in-law units.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

In the casitas, we share rooms or common spaces, so I have to greet strangers before I’ve had coffee, just like in college—or on a space mission.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 10, 2023

A compound of casitas not much bigger than the one he built is on the market for $14 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2023

Including the scattered casitas several miles around, its population is not over five hundred souls.

From Historical Introduction to Studies Among the Sedentary Indians of New Mexico; Report on the Ruins of the Pueblo of Pecos Papers Of The Archæological Institute Of America, American Series, Vol. I by Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier