Gabacho
Encyclopedia
Gabacho is a word used in the Spanish language
to describe foreigners of different origins:
The other possible origin would be from Khawaja meaning "European" in Persian language
via Moor
ish Arabic. The Moors occupying Spain could have referred to the white Spaniards that way and the word had found its way into Spanish and later, into the Americas.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
to describe foreigners of different origins:
- In SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, it is used as a pejorative for French peopleFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
. It comes from Occitan gavach ("rude highlander", "Northerner who talks the local language wrongly"). By semantic sliding, it was then applied to French people in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and to US Anglo-Saxon citizens in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
or the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Mexican-Americans. The etymological origin would be a pre-Roman word for "cropCrop (anatomy)A crop is a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion that is found in many animals, including gastropods, earthworms, leeches, insects, birds, and even some dinosaurs.- Bees :Cropping is used by bees to temporarily store nectar of flowers...
" and "goitreGoitreA goitre or goiter , is a swelling in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx...
", a condition frequentEndemic goitreEndemic goitre is a type of goitre that is associatedwith dietary iodine deficiency.Some inland areas where soil and water lacks in iodine compounds and consumption of marine foods is low are known for higher incidence of goitre. In such areas goitre is said to be "endemic".This type of goitre is...
in the Northern Occitanian mountains. The Diccionario de Autoridades argues it comes from gaves ("torrents") in the PyreneesPyreneesThe Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, but Corominas rejects this proposal. - In MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, gabacho refers to both the US citizens and their country ("El Gabacho"), especially as an alternative to the milder gringoGringoGringo is a slang Spanish and Portuguese word used in Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, to denote foreigners, often from the United States. The term can be applied to someone who is actually a foreigner, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into...
. It became widely used in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
during the French occupation as a term to refer to the invading French. - In the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the word is used mainly by Chicanos (and by extension, American Hispanics) as a descriptive name for White Americans. It is not widely used or understood by SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speakers in the Americas outside of the USA and MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The term GüeroGueroGuero is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, first released in March 2005 on Interscope Records. It debuted on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart at #2 , and in the UK at #15 . To date, this is Beck's highest charting CD...
or Huero is sometimes used interchangeably to describe someone who is pale skinned.
The other possible origin would be from Khawaja meaning "European" in Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
via Moor
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
ish Arabic. The Moors occupying Spain could have referred to the white Spaniards that way and the word had found its way into Spanish and later, into the Americas.
External links
- gabacho at the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.