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pa·chu·co

(pə-chkō)

n. pl. pa·chu·cos

1. A Mexican American man or boy who dresses in flamboyant clothes, often one who belongs to a neighborhood gang.

2. Offensive A Mexican American man or boy.

[American Spanish, person from El Paso, pachuco, possibly alteration of payuco, yokel, from Spanish payo, peasant, perhaps from Galician Payo, Pelagius (considered a typical peasant name).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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