Gringo

Gringo ( /ˈɡrɪŋɡoʊ/, ) is a slang Spanish and Portuguese word used in Ibero-America, to denote foreigners, often from the United States. The term can be applied to someone who is actually a foreigner, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into foreign (particularly US) society and culture. African Americans and Native Americans are sometimes an exception, but not always.

In Spanish it simply identifies a foreigner, without any negative connotation, ] Roger Axtell, a travel etiquette expert, notes that "he word gringo is not necessarily a bad word. It is slang but is derogatory only in its use and context."

The word was used in Spain—although the word is nowadays rarely heard there—long before it crossed the Atlantic to denote foreign, non-native speakers of Spanish.