paisano

[ pahy-sah-noh, -zah-; Spanish pahy-sah-naw ]

/ paɪˈsɑ noʊ, -ˈzɑ-; Spanish paɪˈsɑ nɔ /

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noun, plural pai·sa·nos

[pahy-sah-nohz, -zah-; Spanish pahy-sah-naws]. /paɪˈsɑ noʊz, -ˈzɑ-; Spanish paɪˈsɑ nɔs/.

a person who shares one’s place of origin; compatriot.

Informal. a pal; buddy; compadre.

Southwestern U.S.

a person who lives in a rural area; farm laborer; rustic.
a roadrunner.

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Also pai·san

[pahy-zahn] /paɪˈzɑn/ (for defs. 1, 2).

Origin of paisano

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; from Spanish, from French paysan; see peasant

Words nearby paisano

pair royal, pairs, pair skating, pair trawling, paisa, paisano, Paisiello, paisley, paitrick, Paiute, pajama

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use paisano in a sentence

Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, and Rock Hudson all stayed at El Paisano, still the grandest hotel in town.
Big-Sky West Texas: A Road Trip Through Hidden America|Condé Nast Traveler|March 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They received the usual frank welcome of a paisano, and were told to dismount and unsaddle.
Ponce de Leon|William Pilling
The guerrillero is the irregular soldier, or armed paisano, who wages this little war.
The Bible in Spain - Vol. 2 [of 2]|George Borrow
Sick with expectancy of the news he feared, he rode up, dismounted, and dropped Paisano's reins.
Heart of the West|O. Henry

Of these inhabitants the true paisano, the Gaucho, decidedly claims the chief share of attention.
Uruguay|W. H. Koebel
Their cabalistic watchword was “Paisano” (fellow-countryman), their battle cry “Independence.”
The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912|James H. Blount

British Dictionary definitions for paisano

paisano

/ (paɪˈsɑːnəʊ, Spanish paiˈsano) /

noun plural -nos (-nəʊz, Spanish -nos) Southwestern US (often a term of address)

informal a friend; pal

a fellow countryman

Word Origin for paisano

C20: via Spanish from French paysan peasant

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