Origin of Creole
1595–1605; < French < Spanish
criollo < Portuguese
crioulo native, derivative of
criar to bring up < Latin
creāre; see
create
OTHER WORDS FROM Creole
half-Cre·ole, adjectiveExample sentences from the Web for creole
British Dictionary definitions for creole (1 of 2)
creole
/ (ˈkriːəʊl) /
noun
a language that has its origin in extended contact between two language communities, one of which is generally European. It incorporates features from each and constitutes the mother tongue of a community
Compare pidgin
adjective
denoting, relating to, or characteristic of creole
(of a sauce or dish) containing or cooked with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, etc
Word Origin for creole
C17: via French and Spanish probably from Portuguese
crioulo slave born in one's household, person of European ancestry born in the colonies, probably from
criar to bring up, from Latin
creāre to
create
British Dictionary definitions for creole (2 of 2)
Creole
/ (ˈkriːəʊl) /
noun
(sometimes not capital) (in the Caribbean and Latin America)
- a native-born person of European, esp Spanish, ancestry
- a native-born person of mixed European and African ancestry who speaks a French or Spanish creole
- a native-born Black person as distinguished from one brought from Africa
(in Louisiana and other Gulf States of the US) a native-born person of French ancestry
the creolized French spoken in Louisiana, esp in New Orleans
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of any of these peoples