Paisano
/paɪˈsɑːnoʊ/noun
A countryman, fellow villager, or, in some dialects, a fellow prisoner or friend.
Did you know?Paisano comes from Latin *pagensis* (“villager, country-dweller”), from *pagus* (“district, countryside”), the same root behind *pagan*—originally just “a rural person,” not a villain.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pag-
“to fasten, fix”
Latin
Latin
pagus
“a district, rural area, country territory”
Late Latin
Latin
pagensis
“a villager, country-dweller”
Old Spanish
Spanish
paisano
“a countryman, fellow native, rustic person”
Modern English
English
paisano
“a fellow countryman or friend, especially in Spanish-influenced usage”