mestisa
mestísa with stress marks
female person of mixed ethnicity; fair-skinned woman
Usage Note
Mestisa was originally a colonial term for a woman of mixed racial heritage, particularly Spanish-Filipino or Chinese-Filipino descent. In contemporary usage it more often simply describes a woman with fair or light skin, reflecting the cultural premium placed on lighter complexions in the Philippines; the masculine counterpart is mestiso.
Examples
" Mestisa ang bagong guro namin. "
Natural Translation
Our new teacher is fair-skinned.
Literal Translation
Fair-skinned the new teacher our.
" Ang magandang mestisa ay nanalo sa patimpalak ng kagandahan. "
Natural Translation
The beautiful fair-skinned woman won the beauty pageant.
Literal Translation
The beautiful fair-skinned-woman is won in pageant of beauty.
" Hindi mahalaga kung mestisa o morena, ang mahalaga ay mabait at matulungin ang isang tao. "
Natural Translation
It doesn't matter whether someone is fair-skinned or dark-skinned; what matters is that the person is kind and helpful.
Literal Translation
Not important if fair-skinned or dark-skinned, the important is kind and helpful the one person.
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