Ladino
/ləˈdiːnoʊ/noun
Ladino is the traditional Judeo-Spanish language developed by Sephardic Jewish communities after their expulsion from Iberia.
Did you know?Ladino preserves medieval Spanish features alongside Hebrew, Aramaic, Turkish, Greek, and Balkan influences, making it a linguistic archive of Sephardic migration.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
Latinus
“Of Latium, the region surrounding ancient Rome; the ultimate source of Ladino.”
Late Antiquity
Late Latin
latinus
“Latin or belonging to the Latin language and people.”
Medieval Iberia
Old Spanish
ladino
“Latin-speaking, Romance-speaking, or able to speak a language other than one's own.”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
ladino
“Cunning or crafty; probably influenced by the idea of someone linguistically skilled or culturally adaptable.”
15th–16th Century
Judeo-Spanish
Ladino
“The Sephardic Jewish Romance language that developed from Iberian Spanish varieties after the expulsions from Spain and Portugal.”
Modern English
English
Ladino
“The Judeo-Spanish language, also called Judezmo or Sephardic Spanish.”