charro

See also: charró

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish charro (“cowboy”).

Noun

charro (plural charros)

1. A type of Mexican horseman.
   • 2007 August 21, Dave Kehr, “New DVDs”, in New York Times‎^[2]:

     The star is Jorge Negrete, a tall baritone with a pencil mustache who appeared as a singing charro in a few dozen ranchero musicals.

   • 2006 July 28, Susannah J. Felts, “Wanna See Something Really Weird?”, in Chicago Reader‎^[3]:

     The show features a revolving roster of "freaks" both born and made: at Ozzfest the former included Jessie the Half-Boy; a "wolf-boy" from Mexico dressed in a charro suit and sombrero; and the aforementioned Punkin Head, aka Scott the Cyclops, who capitalizes on his empty eye socket with various props including, as Harck promises, his own tongue.

   • 1994 May 6, Carmela Rago, “Not From Around Here”, in Chicago Reader‎^[4]:

     But he's also evolved from the mythic Mexican cowboy of the 19th century, the charro, who even if he had nothing else had balls.

2. (usually in the plural) Short for charro bean.

Anagrams

• orrach

Asturian

Verb

charro

1. first-person singular present indicative of charrar

Galician

Etymology

Unknown. Attested in Galician since circa 1539, earlier than in other Iberian languages, which makes the proposed Basque etymology less probable. Compare Asturian charru.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃaro̝/

Adjective

charro (feminine charra, masculine plural charros, feminine plural charras)

1. simple, unintelligent, silly
   • 1555, Hernán Núñez, Refranes en Romance:

     Deus nos dia con que riamos, e non sejan fillos charros

     May God give us something to laugh, but that it is not silly children

2. gaudy, tasteless

Noun

charro m (plural charros)

1. (linguistics) transitional dialect in between Galician and Asturian, in some regions of León

Derived terms

• charrúa

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “charro”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “charro”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “charro”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish charro, from Basque txar.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.ʁu/ [ˈʃa.hu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.ʁu/ [ˈʃa.hu]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.ʁu/ [ˈʃa.χu]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.ʁo/ [ˈʃa.ho]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.ʁu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.ʁu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa.ʁu/

• Rhymes: -aʁu
• Hyphenation: char‧ro

Adjective

charro (feminine charra, masculine plural charros, feminine plural charras, comparable)

1. rude; rough

Noun

charro m (plural charros)

1. (Portugal, colloquial) joint, a cigarette containing cannabis

   Synonyms: (Portugal) paiva, (Brazil) baseado, (Brazil) beque

   Queres fumar um charro? ― Do you want to smoke a joint?

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Basque txar (“defective, weak”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃaro/ [ˈt͡ʃa.ro]
• Rhymes: -aro
• Syllabification: cha‧rro

Adjective

charro (feminine charra, masculine plural charros, feminine plural charras)

1. coarse, vulgar

   Synonym: chabacano

2. rustic

   Synonym: aldeano

3. (slang, Texas) Ellipsis of frijoles a la charra.: pinto or pink beans boiled with condiments but otherwise plain and simple
4. of, from or relating to Salamanca

   Synonyms: salamanquino, salmantino

Descendants

• → Portuguese: charro

Noun

charro m (plural charros, feminine charra, feminine plural charras)

1. one who is rustic or coarse

   Synonym: pueblerino

2. native or inhabitant of Salamanca (male or of unspecified gender)

   Synonyms: salamanquino, salmantino

3. (Mexico) a traditional postindependence Mexican horseman

Interjection

¡charro!

1. (El Salvador) Used to warn to keep silence, be careful or discreet.

   Synonym: charros

Further reading

• “charro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
• “charro” in Diccionario de americanismos, Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010