anchor baby

an·chor ba·by

A a

Definitions of anchor baby words

noun anchor baby a term used to refer to a baby born to an undocumented mother in a country where the baby becomes a citizen at birth, especially when the birth is planned to facilitate eventual legal residency for the family. 1
noun anchor baby (US, offensive) A child born to immigrant or noncitizen parents in the United States or another country that grants birthright citizenship, and who, as a citizen, can provide immigration benefits to relatives. 0

before 1995

One of the 1% newest English words

First recorded in 1995-2000; from the parents' intent to "anchor" themselves and not be deported

noun

adjective

verb

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preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer