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Mexican-American

Mexican-American

17 3.1
A person who lives in the United States and was born in Mexico or has family from Mexico
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛksɪkən əˈmɛrɪkən/
  • US
translation icon : mexicano-estadounidense
  • Would you consider yourself Mexican American?
  • Mexican-American fans
  • Mexican-American activists
  • Mexican-American organizations

It's Mexican American, grandparents are from Mexico.

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Examples

  • He was our first Mexican American press professor after the civil rights movement.

  • Mexican Americans constitute more than 60% of the US Latino population, and about 40% of Mexican Americans were born in Mexico.

    Academic text (2012)
  • It's Mexican American, grandparents are from Mexico.

  • Do we have any Mexican-Americans with us today?

  • But being Mexican-American is really hard.

  • Nobody knows how tough it is to be Mexican-American.

  • Well, the Mexican-American community... has long been referred to as the sleeping giant.

  • We focused on Mexican Americans, the largest Hispanic ethnic group.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Alba is a 5-year-old Mexican American girl enrolled in kindergarten this year.

    Academic text (2013)
  • My parents grew up in one of the largest and oldest Mexican-American communities in the nation.

Synonyms

Chicano
vsMexican-American
12 8.3

A person from a Mexican family who lives in the United States and celebrates Mexican-American culture

is the general demographic term not tied to identity politics
Chicana
vsMexican-American
  • US
3 8.3

A woman or girl of Mexican descent in the United States who sees herself as part of Mexican American culture

is gender neutral, covering any person with Mexican descent
Mexicano
vsMexican-American
  • US
2 6.8

A person from Mexico or with Mexican family who lives in the United States

is the neutral demographic term without cultural emphasis

Surface Forms

Morphology

Mexican-American = Mexican + American (transparent) = Mexican + American

A clear compound of two nationality terms; learners who know 'Mexican' and 'American' can infer a person with Mexican and American identity.

Etymology

Mexican-American joins Mexican from Mexico and American from America, naming someone connected to both countries. Think of it like carrying two flags, Mexico and the United States, so a Mexican-American has both Mexican and American roots.