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Asiatic

 - 2 dictionary results

A⋅si⋅at⋅ic

[ey-zhee-at-ik, ey-shee-, ey-zee-]
–noun, adjective Sometimes Offensive.
Asian.

Origin:
1625–35; < L Asiāticus < Gk Asiātikos. See Asia, -atic


A⋅si⋅at⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Asiatic
A·si·at·ic   (ā'zhē-āt'ĭk, -shē-, -zē-)   
adj.  Asian: the Asiatic reaches of the Soviet Union; a tropical Asiatic plant.
n.  Often Offensive An Asian.
Usage Note: As with Oriental, the use of Asiatic in referring to the peoples and cultures of Asia sounds conspicuously dated in contemporary American English, tending to evoke the prejudicial and offensive stereotypes of an earlier era. The preferred ethnic term is now clearly Asian. In most other contexts, however, as in Asiatic Russia or the Asiatic elephant, the term remains a neutral geographic descriptor that need not automatically be replaced with Asian. See Usage Note at Oriental.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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