barrio

/ˌbɑriˈoʊ/

/ˈbɑriəʊ/

Other forms: barrios

In the U.S., a barrio is the neighborhood where most people speak Spanish. For example, in New York, Spanish Harlem is also called El Barrio. Outside the U.S., barrio refers to a district in Spain or a Spanish-speaking country.

The word barrio means "neighborhood" in Spanish, and in most Spanish-speaking places, that's exactly what it means. In Cuba and Spain, barrios are official divisions of municipalities. But in New York, Los Angeles, Tucson, Miami, and other U.S. cities, a barrio isn’t an official district, it’s just the neighborhood where Spanish speakers settled and/or still live.

Definitions of barrio

1. noun

   an urban area in a Spanish-speaking country
   type of:

   populated area, urban area

   a geographical area constituting a city or town
2. noun

   a Spanish-speaking quarter in a town or city (especially in the United States)
   type of:

   quarter

   a district of a city having some distinguishing character