wetback

wet·back

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [wet-bak]
- /ˈwɛtˌbæk/
- /ˈwet.bæk/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [wet-bak]
- /ˈwɛtˌbæk/

Definitions of wetback word

noun wetback a contemptuous term used to refer to a Mexican laborer who enters the U.S. illegally, as by wading the Rio Grande. 1
noun wetback A Mexican living in the US, especially one who is an illegal immigrant. 1
noun wetback illegal Mexican immigrant 1
noun wetback Mexican, Central American immigrant 1
countable noun wetback Wetback is sometimes used to refer to a Mexican or a Mexican-American who has entered the United States illegally in order to work or live there. 0
noun wetback a Mexican labourer who enters the US illegally 0

See all 9 definitions of wetback

Information block about the term

Origin of wetback

First appearance:

before 1945

One of the 6% newest English words

An Americanism dating back to 1945-50; wet + back1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Wetback

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Wetback

wetback popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 61% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

wetback usage trend in Literature

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