pendejo
English
editEtymology
editBorrowed from Spanish pendejo.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editpendejo (plural pendejos)
- (US, Mexico, slang, derogatory) A stupid person.
Usage notes
edit- Typically only used by Spanish-speaking people.
Spanish
editPronunciation
editEtymology 1
editInherited from Vulgar Latin *pectinī̆culum, diminutive of Latin pecten (“pubic hair, comb”). The unexpected /nd/ may be due to the influence of pender (“hang down, dangle”). Compare Portuguese pentelho.
Noun
editpendejo m (plural pendejos)
- (rare, dated) pubic hair (a single hair growing in the pubic region)
- Hypernym: vello púbico
Etymology 2
editUncertain.
Noun
editpendejo m (plural pendejos, feminine pendeja, feminine plural pendejas)
- (derogatory, vulgar, chiefly Latin America) arsehole, asshole, stupid, idiot, dirtbag, scumbag (a contemptible person)
- (derogatory, chiefly Latin America) dumbass (stupid person)
- Synonyms: idiota, (Spain) gilipollas, (Argentina, Dominican Republic) boludo
- Paco reprobó el examen. Es un pinche pendejo.
- Paco failed the test. He's a fucking dumbass.
- (Southern Cone, colloquial) young boy
- (Southern Cone) punk (an adolescent who presumes to be an adult)
- (Costa Rica, Caribbean) coward
- (Peru, vulgar) perspicacious, perceptive, cunning, smart, clever, scoundrel
- Le lanzaron un huevo a María. ¡Puta, qué pendejos!
- They threw an egg at María. They're so clever!
Usage notes
edit- Although in some contexts zonzo, bobo, tonto, menso, culero, tarado, idiota, imbécil, estúpido and pendejo may be synonyms, in most contexts they have a different degree of intensity, with zonzo having the mildest connotation, increasing in intensity in that rough order, to estúpido and pendejo, which have the most offensive meaning.
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editFurther reading
edit- “pendejo”, 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
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- es:Fear
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