mexican

mexican — adjective

IPA/ˈmeksɪkən/
KK[mˈɛksəkən]IPA/ˈmeksɪkən/
  • mexicanpositive
  • more mexicancomparative
  • most mexicansuperlative

1. coming from Mexico, or connected with the people, culture, food, or traditions o

1.adjectiveA1
Definition

coming from Mexico, or connected with the people, culture, food, or traditions of Mexico

Example

Hoa bought a Mexican blanket from a market in Mexico City.

attributive use: Mexican + noun (blanket / food / culture)

Hassan's family goes to a Mexican restaurant after work every Friday.

Common collocations
  • Mexican cuisine
  • Mexican culture
  • Mexican flag
  • Mexican tradition
  • Mexican restaurant

Grammar Patterns

Mexican + noun

Usage Note

Always used before a noun (attributive position). Cannot be used with comparative forms — a thing is Mexican or it is not.

Common Mistakes

This food taste Mexican.
This food tastes like Mexican food.
Mexican is an adjective, so it must modify a noun or follow a linking verb.
She is a Mexic woman.
She is a Mexican woman.
The correct adjective form is Mexican, not Mexic.

mexican — noun

IPA/ˈmek.sɪ.kən/
KK[mˈɛksəkən]IPA/ˈmek.sɪ.kən/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mexican, Chicano/Chicana, and Latino/Latina all relate to people with ties to Latin American cultures, but they differ in scope and connotation. Mexican is the narrowest and most neutral term — it refers specifically to a person from Mexico or of Mexican citizenship, regardless of ethnicity. Chicano (masculine) and Chicana (feminine) refer specifically to Mexican-Americans living in the United States, and the terms carry cultural and political associations connected to the civil rights movement of the 1960s–70s. A person born in Mexico City who later moves to the US might identify as Mexican or Mexican-American but not necessarily as Chicano/Chicana, which implies a specific US-rooted identity. Latino (masculine) and Latina (feminine) are much broader, covering anyone from Latin America — including Mexico, but also Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, and many other countries. A person from Buenos Aires would never be called Mexican but could be called Latino. For learners, use Mexican when you know the person is from Mexico; use Latino/Latina only when referring to the broader region.

Mexican ↗Chicano / ChicanaLatino / Latina

Etymology

NahuatlSpanishEnglish

The word Mexican comes from Mexico, the name of the country. Mexico itself comes from the Nahuatl word Mēxihco, which was the name the Aztecs (Mexica) used for their capital city. Spanish speakers added the -ano suffix (meaning 'from' or 'related to') to form mexicano, and English borrowed the word as Mexican.