Chicano

American  

[chi-kah-noh, -kan-oh] / tʃɪˈkɑ noʊ, -ˈkæn oʊ /

Or chicano

adjective

1. of or relating to Mexican Americans or their culture.

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noun

plural

Chicanos

1. a Mexican American.

chicano British  

/ tʃɪˈkɑːnəʊ /

noun

1. an American citizen of Mexican origin

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Usage

What does Chicano mean? A Chicano is a person who is Mexican American. In other words, it’s someone of Mexican descent who was born in or now lives in the United States, as in Although Jorge loves living in the United States, he remains a proud Chicano, frequently visiting his Mexican hometown.Chicano is also used as an adjective to describe Mexican American people or things involving them or their culture, as in Rosa loved Chicano food so much that she became a chef and opened a popular Chicano restaurant. Chicano comes from Mexican Spanish, a language that uses gendered nouns. Chicano is the masculine form, while Chicana is the feminine form. Chican@ and Chicanx are sometimes used as gender-neutral forms.As with any term that refers to a person’s identity, it is best to ask the person what term they prefer to identify themselves with. Even if a person fits the dictionary definition of Chicano, they might prefer to be identified by another term, such as Mexican American, American, Mexican, Hispanic, or Latino.Example: The ad campaign was targeted at the city’s large Chicano population, who were proud of their Mexican heritage.

Etymology

Origin of Chicano

First recorded in 1960–65; from Mexican Spanish, by shortening and alteration of mexicano Mexican ( def. )

Example Sentences

They came from as far away as Florida, Georgia and Chicago as members of the steering committee for Mijente, a national grassroots group that organizes activism within Latino and Chicano communities.

From Los Angeles Times

Incorporating folk humor, satire and Mexican history, their work later evolved to include commentary on the Vietnam War, racism, inequality and Chicano culture more broadly.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Chicano heritage wasn’t a thing for me, it was more the immigrant experience,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

Why Cesar Chavez carried her during United Farm Workers marches and why generations of Chicano artists have reimagined la virgencita as everything from a bikini-clad model to a jogger — the more quotidian, the better.

From Los Angeles Times

It was an amazing space with a really cool aesthetic: a combination of Chicano, Mexican and other Latino elements, but in the middle of Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times