spic

See also: spíc, špic, and spić

English

Alternative forms

• spick, spik

Etymology

Possibly imitative of a Hispanic pronunciation of speak. Usually considered a contraction of the earlier used spiggoty.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɪk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪk

Noun

spic (plural spics)

1. (US, offensive, derogatory, ethnic slur) A Latino; a person of Latin American descent.

   Synonyms: spigotty, spiggoty

2. (US, ethnic slur, originally) A person of Italian descent.
   • 1934, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night: A Romance, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC; republished as Malcolm Cowley, editor, Tender is the Night: A Romance [...] With the Author’s Final Revisions, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1951, →OCLC, book IV (Escape: 1925–1929), page 236:

     “He’s a spic” he said. He was frantic with jealousy, he didn’t want to be hurt again.

See also

• spick and span

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “spic n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Anagrams

• CSPI, ICPs, PCIs, PICS, PICs, iPSC, pics

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin spicum < spica. Doublet of épi, which was inherited.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spik/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

spic m (uncountable)

1. Spike lavender

   Synonym: lavande aspic

Related terms

• aspic

Further reading

• “spic”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *spik, from Proto-Germanic *spiką. Cognate with Dutch spek, German Speck, and Icelandic spik.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spit͡ʃ/

Noun

spiċ n

1. bacon
2. lard

Declension

Declension of spic (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	spiċ	—
accusative	spiċ	—
genitive	spiċes	—
dative	spiċe	—

Derived terms

• spiċhūs
• spiċmāse

Descendants

• Middle English: spik, spyk, spike, spich
  • Scots: spick, spect
  • English: speck

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin spīcum, alternative form of spīca.

Noun

spic n (plural spice)

1. (of grain) ear, spike

Declension

Declension of spic

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) spic	spicle	(niște) spic	spicle
genitive/dative	(unui) spic	spiclui	(unor) spic	spiclor
vocative	spic		spiclor