English
macho
Macho comes from Spanish macho ‘male’, and goes back to Latin mās.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmās‘male’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmasculus‘male, masculine’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEmasclus
- Old Spanishc. 950–1500maslo
- Spanishc. 1500–presentmacho‘male’
- Englishearliest quotation 1978macho
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmās‘male’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmasculus‘male, masculine’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEmasclus
- Old Spanishc. 950–1500maslo
- Spanishc. 1500–presentmacho‘male’
- Englishearliest quotation 1978macho
Earliest quotation: 1978, Macho Man: “You can tell a macho, he has a funky…”.
Linked words
through Latin mās ‘male’
married, marriage, marry, marital, 8 more
through Latin masculus ‘male, masculine’
masculine, masculinity, 3 more
through Vulgar Latin masclus
through Spanish macho ‘male’
Today it means
adj Masculine in an overly assertive or aggressive way. Very masculine.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin mās / macho