1. A Latin American.
2. A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States. See Usage Note at Hispanic.

[Short for Spanish latinoamericano, Latin-American, from latino, Latin, from Latin Latīnus. See Latin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.