Mexican X-plainer: Greek Gringos?

As a result of my “güero” article, several readers asked me to explain where the word “gringo” came from.

The etymology is actually really simple, in my opinion, but first we have to dispel some folk etymologies and learn a couple of linguistic processes by which words evolve.

A) It’s not from “Green Go!” due to uniforms during Mexican-US War. US uniforms were blue (except for a small regiment).
B) It’s also not from soldiers singing “Green Grow the Lilacs” as they entered battle —there’s no evidence for this silly theory.
C) It’s also not from the cry “Erin go bragh” leaving the lips of Irish soldiers.

The main evidence debunking all three of these theories is that the word predates the 19th century conflicts between the US and Mexico. It was first recorded in Spain, in a 1787 dictionary.

“GRINGOS: what foreigners are called in Malaga if they have a certain accent that keeps them from speaking Spanish easily and naturally; in Madrid they use the same name, and for the same reason, mainly for the Irish.”

A century later, a dictionary from Argentina assures us all European foreigners (English, German, French, Italian) are called “gringo” by the working class … but not Spaniards, Hispanic Americans, Brazilians, or Portuguese.

Here’s a usage example from around 1810, the song “Cachirulo,” popular in Spain. Verse five complains about the “Gringo Count,” referring to General Henry…