Gringo(/ˈɡrɪŋɡoʊ/,Spanish:[ˈgɾiŋgo],Portuguese:[ˈgɾĩgu]) is aslangSpanishandPortugueseword used in South 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.

In Spanish it does not have a negative connotation.Roger Axtell, a travel etiquette expert, notes that “[t]he word gringo is not necessarily a bad word. It is sla...