Ladino

American  

[luh-dee-noh, lah-thee-naw] / ləˈdi noʊ, lɑˈði nɔ /

noun

plural

Ladinos

1. Also called Judeo-Spanish, Judezmo.  a Romance language of Sephardic Jews, based on Old Spanish and written in the Hebrew script.

2. (in Spanish America) a mestizo.

3. (lowercase) a wild, unmanageable, or vicious horse or other ranch animal.

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Ladino ¹ British  

/ ləˈdiːnəʊ /

noun

1. Also called: Judaeo-Spanish.   Judezmo.  a language of Sephardic Jews, based on Spanish with some Hebrew elements and usually written in Hebrew characters

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ladino ² British  

/ ləˈdiːnəʊ /

noun

1. an Italian variety of white clover grown as a forage crop in North America

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Etymology

Origin of Ladino

1885–90; < Spanish < Latin Latīnus Latin. Ladin

Example Sentences

The Ladino Hanukkah classic “Ocho Kandelikas” blared from the speakers while the Ahmed sisters of Houston hunted in vain for a clear spot to pose in their matching hijabs.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2022

Wilder went with Ladino because the couple believed traveling with a small child would improve his chances of being admitted to the United States.

From Reuters • Jul. 3, 2021

These include Ottoman Turkish, Persian, and the peculiar but widely popular Ladino.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2020

He and his wife communicated in Ladino, a form of Old Spanish that incorporated words from Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, and other languages.

From The New Yorker • May 7, 2019

“Abuela, they say Ladino is an endangered language, so thank you for teaching me.”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar