spic en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈspɪk/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
First attested in this spelling in the 1910s, from earlier spig, spiggoty, spikity, generally taken to derive from a (stereotype of a) Hispanic pronunciation of "(no) speak d(e) English" (especially as used by the laborers who dug the Panama Canal). There are also later (1960s) suggestions that the term referred instead to Italians and derives from spaghetti, but there is little to back this up.
Meanings
- (US, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur) Synonym of Latino, an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent.
-
(US, ethnic, slur, uncommon) Synonym of Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent.
“He’s a spic” he said. He was frantic with jealousy, he didn’t want to be hurt again.
1934, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Malcolm Cowley, Tender is the Night […], New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1951, →OCLC, book IV (Escape: 1925–1929), page 236:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| spics | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| spik | alternative | lexicographic | |
| spick | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
spigger · spicspeak · spicish · spiclet · Spicanese · spicness