machismo

Where does the word "machismo" come from? It comes from Spanish macho, passing through Mexican Spanish before entering English (1940s).

Machismo’s story begins in Spanish: macho meant “male.” Male, from Latin 'masculus'. By 1900s, the word had taken hold in Mexican Spanish as machismo. Exaggerated masculinity. It reached English by 1940s as machismo. Borrowed in writing about Mexican and Latin American society. Today, machismo means strong or aggressive masculine pride.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval macho "male", male, from Latin 'masculus'.
2. Stage 2 · Mexican Spanish · 1900s machismo "male pride", exaggerated masculinity.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1940s machismo "male chauvinism", borrowed in writing about Mexican and Latin American society.