Llanito

[ yah-nee-toh, jah-nee-toh ]

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Gibraltar.
2. Also Ya·ni·to []. a dialect of Andalusian Spanish spoken in Gibraltar that is heavily influenced by English, and also contains vocabulary from Genoese, Hebrew, Maltese, and Portuguese.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Llanito¹

First recorded in 1995–2000; of uncertain origin; possibly from Spanish: literally, “person of the flatlands” (from llano “even, flat,” also “flatland, plain”); possibly from Italian dialect (Genoese) slang Gianito “Johnny” (the Genoese constituted about one-third of the population of Gibraltar in the late 18th century)