Pardo
/ˈpɑːr.doʊ/noun
A historical or contemporary classification in Brazil for a person of mixed ancestry, or a brownish-gray color.
Did you know?In colonial and modern Brazil, pardo became a shifting social and census category rather than a precise biological identity, reflecting changing ideas about ancestry and race.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
πάρδος (párdos)
“Leopard or panther, a spotted wild cat”
Classical Latin
Latin
pardus
“Leopard; a borrowing from Greek”
Medieval Latin
Latin
pardus
“Leopard, with the animal’s tawny or brown coloring associated with the color term”
12th–13th Century
Old Portuguese
pardo
“Brown, dusky, grayish-brown, or of mixed color”
16th Century
Portuguese
pardo
“A colonial classification applied to people of mixed or non-European ancestry in Brazil”
Modern English
English
pardo
“A Brazilian person of mixed ancestry; also a brownish-gray color”