mozo

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish mozo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈməʊzəʊ/, /ˈmoθo/

Noun

mozo (plural mozos)

1. A male servant, especially an attendant to a bullfighter.
   • 1931, Hart Crane, letter, 2 June:

     I found, by advice, that single mozos weren't apt to be much good.

   • 1992, Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses:

     When he rode up to the gerente’s house that morning he was accompanied by four friends and by a retinue of mozos and two packanimals saddled with hardwood kiacks, one empty, the other carrying their noon provisions.

2. A title of respect for a young man (usually unmarried) with or without a name used. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
3. An unmarried man, a boy. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Anagrams

• Zoom, zoom

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoθo/ [ˈmo.θo]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oθo
• Syllabification: mo‧zo

Adjective

mozo

1. neuter of mozu

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese moço (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria) of unknown origin. Cognate with Portuguese moço, Asturian mozu, and Spanish mozo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoθo̝/, (western) /ˈmoso̝/

Noun

mozo m (plural mozos, feminine moza, feminine plural mozas)

1. boy; teenager; young man; single man

   Synonyms: homiño, rapaz

2. boyfriend

   Synonym: noivo

   Xa é unha mulleriña; mesmo botou mozo.

   She's already a young lady; she even has a boyfriend now.

3. (archaic) junior (person that is younger than other person)
   • 1485, M. Lucas Álvarez, P. Lucas Domínguez, editors, El monasterio de San Clodio do Ribeiro en la Edad Media: estudio y documentos, Sada: Edicións do Castro, page 709:

     Vasco d'Oseve o mozo, fillo de Vasco d'Oseve o vello

     Vasco de Oseve junior, son of Vasco de Oseve senior

Adjective

mozo (feminine moza, masculine plural mozos, feminine plural mozas)

1. young; younger

   Alá foron os anos mozos!

   The young years are over!

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “moço”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “moço”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “mozo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “mozo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “mozo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

mozo

1. moose

Alternative forms

• moço (obsolete)

Etymology

Uncertain, probably ultimately identical with muchacho (cf. mocho), or from Latin musteus (“must-like, of new wine, fresh”), from musteum, from mustum. Other theories include a pre-Roman origin. Compare Portuguese moço, Galician mozo, Asturian mozu. Cf. also Catalan mosso (taken from Spanish) and motxo. There may alternatively be a link to Italian mozzo (“cut off, docked”), French mousse (“blunt”), or Basque motz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /ˈmoθo/ [ˈmo.θo]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /ˈmoso/ [ˈmo.so]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oθo
• Rhymes: -oso
• Syllabification: mo‧zo

Noun

mozo m (plural mozos, feminine moza, feminine plural mozas)

1. boy, lad, young man, youth
2. servant, helper, steward, manservant

   Synonyms: sirviente, ayudante

3. (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru) waiter, server

   Synonym: camarero

4. cat, tomcat

   Synonym: gato

Adjective

mozo (feminine moza, masculine plural mozos, feminine plural mozas)

1. young, youthful

   Synonyms: juvenil, joven

2. unmarried

   Synonym: soltero