What does latino mean?
Latino denotes a person from Latin America or of Latin American descent, especially one living in the United States. As an adjective, it describes people, communities, cultures, and issues associated with Latin America. The word is especially common in the United States, where it may identify people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and other Latin American backgrounds. It overlaps with Hispanic but is not exactly equivalent: Hispanic usually includes people with Spanish origins, while Latino refers more specifically to Latin America and its cultures. In personal usage, many speakers prefer the gender-neutral Latine, while Latino remains widely used and is also treated as an inclusive label. Outside North America, the term can sound less familiar than Latin American. Knowing both Latino and Hispanic helps speakers navigate these overlapping but distinct categories without assuming that they are interchangeable.
A person from Latin America or of Latin American ancestry, especially one living in the United States.
"The organization was founded by a group of prominent Latinos in the city."
The plural Latinos is standard; Latinas is the conventional feminine form when a gendered contrast is intended.
Relating to or characteristic of Latino people, communities, or Latin American culture.
"The gallery presented a major exhibition of Latino art."
Often used in the United States and generally capitalized when naming people or their culture.
Latinos is the standard plural. Latinas is used for women when gendered wording is intended, while Latines is increasingly used as a gender-neutral plural.
"Two Latinos from different generations spoke about their experiences in the industry."
Although Latino ultimately comes from Latin, it does not mean ancient Roman: in English it identifies people and cultures connected to Latin America.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does latino come from?
English borrowed Latino through Spanish and Italian, in which the word means “Latin.” It ultimately comes from Latin Latinus, meaning “of Latium” or “Latin,” the ancient region in central Italy. Related English words include Latin, Latian, Latium, and Ladino.
Related word forms
How latino is actually used
The term is especially common in the United States and is normally capitalized when naming people or their culture. It overlaps with Hispanic but is not exactly equivalent: Hispanic generally includes people with Spanish origins, while Latino refers more specifically to Latin America and its cultures. Latine is increasingly used as a gender-neutral alternative in personal and institutional usage.
Easily confused with latino
Latino refers to people or cultures associated with Latin America, whereas Latin most commonly refers to the Latin language or to the ancient culture of Rome and Latium.