cholo

Like many words that originated in Latin America - tomate, chocolate, etc. - the word cholo originated from the nahuatl language and was eventually hispanisized. The original word was Xoloitzcuintli, where the X is pronounced somewhere between the English SH and CH. The Spanish had no letter for this sound and used the X as a placeholder. Xoloitzcuintli is the native breed of Mexican hairless dog and was valued by the Mexica (Aztec) and Mayan natives. The Spaniards used the shortened version of this word, Xolo, to mean "Mexican dog" with derogatory implications. The word developed other derogatory conotations when used by Anglos or Mexicans, as noted in previous definitions.