narco en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈnɑɹkoʊ/ (General-American)
- /ˈnɑːkəʊ/ (UK)
Etymology
Clipping of narcotics. From narcotic.
Meanings
-
(colloquial, uncountable) Narcotics.
Margo sighed her contentment. ‘Selling narco in Harlem is the life. There's nothing finer.’
1971, Robert Deane Pharr, SRO:Colonel Thornton had the deepest admiration for the Colombians at all levels of society who had made a stand against corruption and narco-dealing, often at the cost of their own lives.
2002, Jeanette Windle, The DMZ:
-
(countable, qualifier:crime) A Latin American drug baron, usually from Colombia or Mexico.
“When narcos use this level of cruelty[…] it means that something is changing and that criminal leaders are trying to show off their power, which is very worrying,“ said Germán de los Santos, an investigative journalist who covers organized crime.
2025 September 26, Josefina Salomón, “Drug traffickers livestream torture and killing of young Argentinian women”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:The conflict has become a test of endurance for both the government and the narcos.
2010 October 16, “Under the volcano”, in The Economist:
-
(abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable) Acronym of narcotics control officer (“a police officer specializing in drug crimes”).
alt of narcotics control officer
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| narcos | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
knocko (narcotics agent)