Cinco de Mayo

/ˌsɪŋ.ko de ˈmaː.joʊ/

proper noun

A national celebration in Mexico, commemorating the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over the French expeditionary forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, also celebrated widely by immigrants living in the United States.

OriginSpanish cinco de mayo ← ['es ', →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A national celebration in Mexico, commemorating the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over the French expeditionary forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, also celebrated widely by immigrants living in the United States.

    The BG Fiestaval returned this past week to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, bringing the tastes, music and culture of Mexico to the community for its 10th year.

    2026 May 11, Joahan Lopez, “BG Fiestaval returns for 10th year after nearly being canceled”, in WBKO, archived from the original on 13 May 2026

Origin

  1. ['es',
  2. Spanishcinco de mayo
  3. EnglishCinco de Mayo

Borrowed from Spanish cinco de mayo (“fifth of May”).

More words from Spanish, ['es

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Cinco de Mayo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cinco%20de%20Mayo

MLA

“Cinco de Mayo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cinco%20de%20Mayo. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cinco de Mayo,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cinco%20de%20Mayo.

Source: Cinco de Mayo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.