Loco is a flexible term with several common uses in English and Spanish, depending on context. What “loco” typically means
- In everyday Spanish, loco means crazy or insane. It’s an adjective used to describe someone acting irrational or mentally unwell, e.g., “Está loco” (He/She is crazy). [loco](javascript:void(0))
- In English slang, especially in the United States, loco is borrowed from Spanish to mean crazy or nuts, used informally to describe someone who is acting wild or out of control. [loco](javascript:void(0))
- In specialized contexts, loco can refer to other distinct meanings:
- In music notation, loco is a directive meaning to return to the normal pitch after using an octave displacement (an instruction for performers). [loco](javascript:void(0))
- Locoweed or loco-weed refers to certain North American plants in the Astragalus and Oxytropis genera that contain toxins causing locoism in livestock. [loco](javascript:void(0))
Usage notes
- Part of speech: loco is an adjective in Spanish; in English it’s often used as an informal adjective (slang) and can also appear as a noun in phrases like “the loco of the band” though that usage is less standard. [loco](javascript:void(0))
- Variants: loca, locos, locas are gendered forms in Spanish; English terms don’t typically inflect the word in the same way. [loco](javascript:void(0))
- Etymology: Spanish loco originates from broader Romance language roots, and the English slang sense has been in use since the 19th century. [loco](javascript:void(0))
If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific usage (e.g., translation for a sentence, slang usage, or musical term) and provide example sentences.
