"spic" meaning in English

See spic in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈspɪk/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-spick.wav Forms: spics [plural], spick [alternative], spik [alternative]
Rhymes: -ɪk Etymology: First attested in this spelling in the 1910s, from earlier spig, spiggoty, spikity, generally taken to derive from a (stereotype of a) Hispanic pronunciation of "(no) speak d(e) English" (especially as used by the laborers who dug the Panama Canal). There are also later (1960s) suggestions that the term referred instead to Italians and derives from spaghetti, but there is little to back this up. Etymology templates: {{'}} ' Head templates: {{en-noun}} spic (plural spics)
  1. (US, offensive, derogatory, ethnic slur) Synonym of Latino, an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent. Tags: US, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur Synonyms: spigotty, spiggoty, Latino [synonym, synonym-of]
    Sense id: en-spic-en-noun-lS4N1okl Categories (other): American English, English ethnic slurs, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 4 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 77 23 Disambiguation of Pages with 4 entries: 74 13 3 10 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 82 9 2 7
  2. (US, ethnic slur, uncommon) Synonym of Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent. Tags: US, ethnic, slur, uncommon Synonyms: Italian [synonym, synonym-of]
    Sense id: en-spic-en-noun-ToPeL0QA Categories (other): American English, English ethnic slurs
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: spigger Related terms: beaner

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "spigger"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "'",
      "name": "'"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "First attested in this spelling in the 1910s, from earlier spig, spiggoty, spikity, generally taken to derive from a (stereotype of a) Hispanic pronunciation of \"(no) speak d(e) English\" (especially as used by the laborers who dug the Panama Canal). There are also later (1960s) suggestions that the term referred instead to Italians and derives from spaghetti, but there is little to back this up.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "spics",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "spick",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "spik",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "spic (plural spics)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "beaner"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English ethnic slurs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "74 13 3 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 4 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 9 2 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Latino, an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent."
      ],
      "id": "en-spic-en-noun-lS4N1okl",
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "Latino",
          "Latino#English"
        ],
        [
          "inhabitant",
          "inhabitant#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latin America",
          "Latin America#English"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latin American",
          "Latin American#English"
        ],
        [
          "descent",
          "descent#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, offensive, derogatory, ethnic slur) Synonym of Latino, an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "spigotty"
        },
        {
          "word": "spiggoty"
        },
        {
          "extra": "an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "Latino"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "derogatory",
        "ethnic",
        "offensive",
        "slur"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English ethnic slurs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              8,
              12
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "“He’s a spic” he said. He was frantic with jealousy, he didn’t want to be hurt again.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent."
      ],
      "id": "en-spic-en-noun-ToPeL0QA",
      "links": [
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "Italian",
          "Italian#English"
        ],
        [
          "inhabitant",
          "inhabitant#English"
        ],
        [
          "Italy",
          "Italy#English"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#English"
        ],
        [
          "descent",
          "descent#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, ethnic slur, uncommon) Synonym of Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "Italian"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "ethnic",
        "slur",
        "uncommon"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈspɪk/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-spick.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e3/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e3/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "spic"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪk",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪk/1 syllable"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "spigger"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "'",
      "name": "'"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "First attested in this spelling in the 1910s, from earlier spig, spiggoty, spikity, generally taken to derive from a (stereotype of a) Hispanic pronunciation of \"(no) speak d(e) English\" (especially as used by the laborers who dug the Panama Canal). There are also later (1960s) suggestions that the term referred instead to Italians and derives from spaghetti, but there is little to back this up.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "spics",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "spick",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "spik",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "spic (plural spics)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "beaner"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English derogatory terms",
        "English ethnic slurs",
        "English offensive terms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Latino, an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "Latino",
          "Latino#English"
        ],
        [
          "inhabitant",
          "inhabitant#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latin America",
          "Latin America#English"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#English"
        ],
        [
          "Latin American",
          "Latin American#English"
        ],
        [
          "descent",
          "descent#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, offensive, derogatory, ethnic slur) Synonym of Latino, an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "spigotty"
        },
        {
          "word": "spiggoty"
        },
        {
          "extra": "an inhabitant of Latin America or person of Latin American descent",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "Latino"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "derogatory",
        "ethnic",
        "offensive",
        "slur"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English ethnic slurs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with uncommon senses"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              8,
              12
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "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:",
          "text": "“He’s a spic” he said. He was frantic with jealousy, he didn’t want to be hurt again.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "Italian",
          "Italian#English"
        ],
        [
          "inhabitant",
          "inhabitant#English"
        ],
        [
          "Italy",
          "Italy#English"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#English"
        ],
        [
          "descent",
          "descent#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, ethnic slur, uncommon) Synonym of Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "Italian"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "ethnic",
        "slur",
        "uncommon"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈspɪk/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-spick.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e3/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e3/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-spick.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "spic"
}

Download raw JSONL data for spic meaning in English (3.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-14 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.