Dictionary.com

spic

or spik, spick

[ spik ]
/ spɪk /
Save This Word!

noun Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.
a contemptuous term used to refer to a Spanish American person.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of spic

First recorded in 1910–15; earlier also spig, short for spiggoty, probably derived from an accented pronunciation of (No) speak the (English)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for spic

spic

spick or spik

/ (spɪk) /

noun
US slang a derogatory word for a person from a Spanish-speaking country in South or Central America or a Spanish-speaking community in the US

Word Origin for spic

C20: perhaps alluding to a foreigner's mispronunciation of speak
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
FEEDBACK