dago
[ dey-goh ]
/ ˈdeɪ goʊ /
noun, plural da·gos, da·goes. (often initial capital letter) Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.
a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of Italian or sometimes Spanish origin or descent.
RELATED CONTENT
Why Do We Call It A “Wife Beater” Shirt?How did a violent term become a piece of clothing? We’re in a bubbling cauldron of gender issues, and they’re boiling to the surface. To contribute to this heated discussion, we think there’s no better time to take wife beater, the slang term for that ubiquitous sleeveless white shirt, to the dump for good. But, how did the violent term become associated with a piece …
Origin of dago
1715–25, Americanism; alteration of Diego < Spanish: a given name
Definition for dago (2 of 2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for dago
dago
/ (ˈdeɪɡəʊ) /
noun plural -gos or -goes
derogatory a member of a Latin race, esp a Spaniard or Portuguese
Word Origin for dago
C19: alteration of Diego, a common Spanish name
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for dago
dago
1823, from Spanish Diego "James." Originally used of Spanish or Portuguese sailors on English or American ships; by 1900 it had broadened to include non-sailors and shifted to mean chiefly "Italian." James the Greater is the patron saint of Spain, and Diego as generic for "a Spaniard" is attested from 1610s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper