cholo

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cholo, of uncertain origin.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: (General American) -oʊloʊ

Noun

cholo (plural cholos)

1. (derogatory) A Mexican or Hispanic gang member, or somebody perceived to embody similar characteristics.

   Coordinate term: chola

   • 1999, Dorothy Leonard-Barton, Walter C. Swap, When Sparks Fly: Igniting Creativity in Groups, page 87:

     When Converse's cool-hunter DeeDee Gordon was in Los Angeles, she saw white teenage girls dressing like cholos, or Mexican gangsters, wearing tight white tank tops known as "wife beaters," a bra strap hanging out, long shorts, tube socks, and shower sandals.

Further reading

• “cholo”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• looch, ochlo-

Chamicuro

Noun

cholo

1. swallow

Classical Nahuatl

Verb

cholo

1. third-person singular non-past optative of choloa

Palauan

Etymology

From Pre-Palauan *quəlaw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *quhənap, from Proto-Austronesian *quSəNap.

Noun

cholo

1. fish scales

References

• cholo in Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary, at tekinged.com.
• cholo in Palauan-English Dictionary, at trussel2.com.
• cholo in Lewis S. Josephs; Edwin G. McManus; Masa-aki Emesiochel (1977), Palauan-English Dictionary, University Press of Hawaii, →ISBN, page 62.

Spanish

Etymology

Unknown etymology. Hypotheses include:

• From Classical Nahuatl xolotl ("dog").
• From Classical Nahuatl xolo ("servant").

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃolo/ [ˈt͡ʃo.lo]
• Rhymes: -olo
• Syllabification: cho‧lo

Noun

cholo m (plural cholos, feminine chola, feminine plural cholas)

1. (Andes, derogatory) mestizo, person of mixed European and various degrees of Amerindian descent, especially if the person is poor

   Synonyms: ladino, mestizo

2. (Mexico, historical) a poor Mexican, often living in California during the 19th century
3. (Mexico, US, informal) a person belonging to a street gang

   Synonyms: pandillero, marero, gángster

4. (colloquial, derogatory, Chile) a person from Peru or Bolivia, especially if they have Quechua or indigenous features
5. (Andes) darling, honey (term of address)

Descendants

• → English: cholo

Adjective

cholo (feminine chola, masculine plural cholos, feminine plural cholas)

1. (derogatory, Andes) of mixed indigenous and European or mestizo descent
2. (colloquial, derogatory, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay) uncultured, poorly educated
3. (Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Panama) (of an Amerindian) adopting Western customs and norms
4. (colloquial, Ecuador, Bolivia) in bad taste, offensive
5. (colloquial, El Salvador) ripped, with defined muscles

   Synonyms: musculoso, (El Salvador) cholotón

   Mi hijo ya se está poniendo cholo ahora que va al gimnasio.

   My son is getting ripped now that he goes to the gym.

6. (colloquial, El Salvador) skillful (especially in a sport, but also figuratively in a dancing style, chess or a science)

   Synonyms: diestro, habilidoso

   Sí, él es bien cholo en taekwondo. Ha estado yendo cuatro días a la semana por años.

   Yes, he's pretty good in taekwondo. He's been going four days a week for years.

Derived terms

• acholar

Further reading

• “cholo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025