Moro
/ˈmɔːroʊ/noun
A member of one of several predominantly Muslim ethnolinguistic groups of the southern Philippines and nearby islands.
Did you know?Spanish colonizers used moro for Muslim communities in the Philippines, extending a term originally associated with the Moors of North Africa and Iberia.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μαῦρος (maûros)
“Dark or black; possibly the source of the later ethnic name, though the connection is debated.”
Classical Latin
Latin
Maurus
“A person from Mauretania in North Africa; later, a Moor.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Maurus / Mauri
“A Moor or Muslim North African, especially in European Christian usage.”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
moro
“A Moor; more broadly, a Muslim person from North Africa or Iberia.”
16th Century
Spanish
moro
“A Muslim inhabitant of the southern Philippine islands, as Spanish rule applied the older label to local Muslim peoples.”
19th Century
English
Moro
“An English ethnonym for Muslim peoples of the southern Philippines.”
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