dago

[ dey-goh ]

/ ˈdeɪ goʊ /

Save This Word!

noun, plural da·gos, da·goes.(often initial capital letter)Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of Italian or sometimes Spanish origin or descent.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dago

1715–25, Americanism; alteration of Diego<Spanish: a given name

Words nearby dago

daggers drawn, at, daggle, daggy, daglock, Dagmar, dago, dagoba, Dagobert I, Dagon, Dago red, D.Agr.

Other definitions for dago (2 of 2)

Dagö

[ dahg-œ ]

/ ˈdɑgˌœ /

noun

Swedish name of Hiiumaa.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dago in a sentence

That was why he had his own plane, a big dual-prop Martin 404 called, in those days before political correctness, El Dago.
Frank Sinatra and the Birth of the Jet Set|William Stadiem|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1962 he accompanied Sinatra (on his personal plane, El Dago) across Europe and Asia.
The Week in Death: George Jacobs, Sinatra’s Domestic Confidant|The Telegraph|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ever see anything more fetching than those great Irish eyes in a regular little Dago mug?
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The Dago mother you asked for—the second painting may be one you'd like to have for your own private gallery.
Children of the Whirlwind|Leroy Scott

Would ye seek to persuade Martin Burney into the dirty tricks of an indecent Dago?
Sixes and Sevens|O. Henry
Did the dern Dago bluff me, does he want more, er did he reely didn't un'erstand fer honest?
In the Arena|Booth Tarkington
Dat Dago man, he outer he hade two day fo' dey haul 'em away, an' ain' sen' no mo' messages.
In the Arena|Booth Tarkington

British Dictionary definitions for dago

dago

/ (ˈdeɪɡəʊ) /

noun plural -gos or -goes

derogatory a member of a Latin race, esp a Spaniard or Portuguese

Word Origin for dago

C19: alteration of Diego, a common Spanish name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012