spic
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Possibly imitative of a Hispanic pronunciation of speak. Usually considered a contraction of the earlier used spiggoty.
Pronunciation
Noun
spic (plural spics)
- (US, offensive, derogatory, ethnic slur) A Latino; a person of Latin American descent.
- (US, ethnic slur, originally) A person of Italian descent.
- 1934, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night: A Romance, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC; republished as Malcolm Cowley, editor, Tender is the Night: A Romance With the Author’s Final Revisions, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1951, →OCLC, book IV (Escape: 1925–1929), page 236:
- “He’s a spic” he said. He was frantic with jealousy, he didn’t want to be hurt again.
See also
Further reading
- Jonathon Green (2024) “spic n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin spicum < spica. Doublet of épi, which was inherited.
Pronunciation
Noun
spic m (uncountable)
- Spike lavender
- Synonym: lavande aspic
Related terms
Further reading
- “spic”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *spik, from Proto-Germanic *spiką. Cognate with Dutch spek, German Speck, and Icelandic spik.
Pronunciation
Noun
spiċ n
Declension
Declension of spic (strong a-stem)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | spiċ | — |
| accusative | spiċ | — |
| genitive | spiċes | — |
| dative | spiċe | — |
Derived terms
Descendants
Romanian
Etymology
Inherited from Latin spīcum, alternative form of spīca.
Noun
spic n (plural spice)