dago

ˈdeɪɡəʊ

3 definitions

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#1·8h ago

(obsolete, naval slang, often, _, derogatory, originally, _, US) A crewman who speaks Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian.

Origin: Alteration of Spaniard, from by law of Hobson-Jobson. The term originated among sailors from the Northern United States, first attested in Boston in 1838. "Diego" is the Portuguese nickname for any deckhand. After transforming into "dago" in English, the word gradually came to denote any southern European in a generic manner. From there, the word spread to England by the 1890s, and to Australia following WW1. In Australia, it has undergone a narrowing in scope, now chiefly meaning "Italian", following a mass migration of Italians to Australia post-WW2. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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#2·8h ago

(US, England, ethnic slur, somewhat, _, dated) A person of Southern European descent.

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#3·8h ago

(US, Australia, ethnic slur, somewhat, _, dated) A person of Italian descent, more specifically.

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