Skip to main content
Franco-American

Franco-American

1 5.5
An American born in France or with family from France
  • noun
  • /ˌfræŋkoʊəˈmɛrɪkən/
  • US
translation icon : francoamericano
  • The Franco-Americans trace their roots back to early French settlers in America.

Examples

  • Steven Reil is a librarian, and his work was recently published in an anthology of Franco-American poetry entitled Live's in Transition by Soleil Press.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • If he means he'll be the first Franco-American governor in Maine, he's lying again, or he simply doesn't know much about the history of his own hometown.

    Blog text (15)
  • They joined preexisting Franco-American communities in the United States, settling in North and South, city and small town, slave state and free.

    Academic text (2016)
  • My friend is a proud Franco-American who celebrates both French and American traditions.

  • Many Franco-Americans in New England maintain their cultural heritage through festivals and cuisine.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Franco-American = Franco + American (transparent) = Franco + American

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'Franco-' (French) and 'American' (person from the United States), so the compound directly denotes dual French–American identity.

Etymology

Franco-American comes from the prefix Franco- meaning 'French' and American meaning 'from America', so it names an American who was born in France or whose family came from France.