pachuco

American  

[puh-choo-koh, pah-choo-kaw] / pəˈtʃu koʊ, pɑˈtʃu kɔ /

noun

plural

pachucos

1. a Mexican American member of a young street gang subculture popular during the first half of the 20th century and known for its flamboyant style and fashion, similar in many ways to the zoot-suit subculture.

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Pachuco British  

/ pəˈtʃuːkəʊ /

noun

1. a young Mexican living in the US, esp one of low social status who belongs to a street gang

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Etymology

Origin of pachuco

First recorded in 1940–45; from Spanish (Mexico, southwestern U.S.) : probably originally a resident of El Paso, Texas, equivalent to (El) Pas(o) + -uco pejorative noun suffix, with expressive replacement of s by ch; compare Mexican Spanish pachuco “worthless card hand,” derivative of paso “pass”

Example Sentences

It didn’t seem fair to take away the Chicano identity from the pachucos, cholas and other groups who had endured so much mistreatment in America.

From Los Angeles Times

A video of Vietnamese men dressed in pachuco style has gone viral on social media, sparking conversations about appropriation and who gets to partake in the culture.

From Los Angeles Times

You can track the evolution of these shapes back to the 1940s and ’50s pachuco down to the cholos of the present day.

From Los Angeles Times

To be clear: Not all pachucos were gang members, nor did all gang members dress like pachucos.

From Los Angeles Times

It was in seemingly placid landscapes like this, wrought in violence and pregnant with contested meanings, that Valdez encountered his first pachucos.

From Los Angeles Times