vato

English

Etymology

From Spanish vato, ultimately from Spanish chivato. Term is mostly used by people from northwest Mexico (Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, Baja California).

Noun

vato (plural vatos)

  1. (Chicano, slang) Hispanic youth; guy; dude

Esperanto

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvato/
  • Hyphenation: va‧to

Noun

vato (accusative singular vaton, plural vatoj, accusative plural vatojn)

  1. watt
  2. cotton wool

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • kilovato

Malagasy

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *batu, from Proto-Austronesian *batu (compare Cebuano bato, Fijian vatu, Hawaiian haku, Hiligaynon bato, Ilocano bato, Indonesian batu, Kapampangan batu, Malay batu, Maori whatu, Sundanese batu, Tagalog bato).

Noun

vato

  1. rock, stone, cobble

Spanish

Alternative forms

Etymology

According to the Chicano poet Luis Alberto Urrea, the word originated in Pachuco slang of the 1940s, and is derived from "the once-common friendly insult chivato or goat.[1]

Noun

vato m (plural vatos, feminine vata, feminine plural vatas)

  1. (Chicano, slang) Hispanic youth; guy; dude; boyfriend; significant other

Usage notes

This term may be used with intimate friends or as a derogatory reference. In some contexts, the term has gang connotations. The feminine form, vata, is also used by Chicano prostitutes to refer to a female who owes them money.

Sentence usage "The vato Harry Gonzalez is an idiot!"

Derived terms

  • vato loco (“crazy dude”, “gangster”, “gangbanger”)

References

  1. ↑ Urrea, Luis Alberto; José Galvez, photographer (2000) Vatos, El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, →ISBN
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