a person of mixed parentage, esp the offspring of a Spanish American and a Native American
Derived forms
mestiza (mɛˈstiːzə)
feminine noun
Word origin
C16: from Spanish, ultimately from Latin miscēre to mix
mestizo in American English
(meˈstizou, mɪ-)
nounWord forms: plural-zos or -zoes
a person of mixed ancestry, esp., in Latin America, of mixed indigenous and European, usually Spanish or Portuguese, ancestry, or, in the Philippines, of mixed native and foreign ancestry
Word origin
[1580–90; ‹ Sp, n. use of adj. mestizo ‹ VL *mixtīcius mixed]