paisano

Alternative forms

• paisan

Etymology

From Neapolitan and Spanish paisano. Doublet of peasant.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /paɪˈzɑ.noʊ/, /paɪˈsɑ.noʊ/

Noun

paisano (plural paisanos)

1. Among Italian Americans and Americans of Italian descent: a fellow Italian or Italian-American; a fellow ethnic Italian.
2. A native, especially a native of California of mixed Spanish and American Indian ancestry.
3. (US, Southwestern US) A roadrunner.
   • 1903 February, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “Hygeia at the Solito”, in Everybody’s Magazine, volume VIII, number 2, New York, N.Y.: John Wanamaker, →ISSN, page 178, column 2:

     Within a very few minutes the cattleman was mounted and away. Paisano, well named after that ungainly but swift-running bird, struck into his long lope that ate up the ground like a strip of macaroni.

Anagrams

• anopias, anopsia

Alternative forms

• sano

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish paisano, from Old French païsan, from Latin pagus (“countryside”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pajˈsano/ [pɐɪ̯ˈs̪a.n̪o]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Hyphenation: pai‧sa‧no

Noun

paisano (Badlit spelling ᜉᜌ᜔ᜐᜈᜓ)

1. a fellow countryman; a compatriot

Etymology

Ultimately from Old French païsan, itself from Latin pagus (“countryside”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pajˈsano/ [pa̠jˈs̺a.nʊ]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Hyphenation: pai‧sa‧no

Noun

paisano m (plural paisanos, feminine paisana, feminine plural paisanas)

1. a fellow countryman
   • 1888, Novo Galiciano, number 17:

     encamiñado a censurar ó Goberno pola súa apatía e indifrencia ante unha custión tan grave como é a emigración, i a reporbar certos medios, indinos i asquerosos que, por algús tratantes de carne humana se veñen pondo en práutica pra fomentar a espatriación dos nosos paisanos a lonxes terras.

     in place to censure the Government because of its apathy and indifference to such a serious matter as it is emigration, and to reprove certain means, indignant and repulsive, that some human flesh traders are using to encourage the expatriation of our countrymen to distant lands.

2. a peasant (someone who lives in the countryside)

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “paisano”, 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), “paisano”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “paisano”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
• “paisano”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Noun

paisano m

1. a fellow countryman or compatriot

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish paisano.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɐnu
• Hyphenation: pa‧i‧sa‧no

Noun

paisano m (plural paisanos, feminine paisana, feminine plural paisanas) (Rio Grande do Sul)

1. a fellow countryman
2. a peasant or countryman (someone who lives in the countryside)

   Synonyms: camponês, peão

3. a friend; a mate

   Synonyms: amigo, camarada, companheiro

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French païsan, itself from Latin pagus (“countryside”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paiˈsano/ [pai̯ˈsa.no]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: pai‧sa‧no

Noun

paisano m (plural paisanos, feminine paisana, feminine plural paisanas)

1. a fellow countryman
2. a peasant (someone who lives in the countryside)
3. (Jewish) a fellow Jew

Further reading

• “paisano”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Alternative forms

• paysano

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish paisano, from Old French païsan. Doublet of pesante.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /paʔiˈsano/ [pɐ.ʔɪˈsaː.n̪o], (relaxed) /pajˈsano/ [paɪ̯ˈsaː.n̪o]
• Rhymes: -ano
• Syllabification: pa‧i‧sa‧no, pai‧sa‧no

Noun

paisano (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜁᜐᜈᜓ or ᜉᜌ᜔ᜐᜈᜓ)

1. fellow countryman

   Synonym: kababayan

2. civilian

   Synonym: sibilyan

3. (law enforcement) plainclothesman

   Synonyms: tiktik, detektib

Further reading

• “paisano”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2024
• “paisano”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Cuadrado Muñiz, Adolfo (1972) Hispanismos en el tagalo: diccionario de vocablos de origen español vigentes en esta lengua filipina, Madrid: Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, page 436