noun
Creole
KREE-ohl
noun
1
A language that develops naturally from the mixing of two or more languages, typically becoming the native tongue of a community.
"Haitian Creole grew out of French and West African languages."
2
A person of mixed European and other ancestry born in a formerly colonised region, or (in Louisiana) a person of French or Spanish descent born there.
"Her family has Creole roots going back to colonial New Orleans."
adj
1
Relating to a cooking style that blends French, African, Spanish, and Caribbean influences, especially from Louisiana.
"The restaurant is known for its Creole gumbo."
How to Use Creole
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishCan refer to a blended language, a person of mixed colonial-era heritage, or a style of Louisiana cooking.
Common pairings
Creole cuisine
Creole language
Louisiana Creole
Word Forms
more Creole comparative, Creoles plural, most Creole superlative
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Haitian _____ grew out of French and West African languages.
Etymology
From French créole, from Spanish criollo, from Portuguese crioulo, itself from criar, "to raise" — originally describing someone raised in a household, later anyone born locally to settler ancestry.