# vato **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587 "2003-04-09T17:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/1 "2003-04-09T17:17:32Z")
Hispanics in my hometown use the word vato quite a lot. It seems that it refers to a “cool” person. Does anyone know of its exact meaning and its origin? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/2 "2003-04-09T17:23:04Z")
I don’t know its origin, but I’ve always understood it to be roughly equivalent to “dude” or “buddy”–a way of addressing someone who belongs to your own circle. There’s definitely an overtone of “one of us.” ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/3 "2003-04-09T17:40:19Z")
Vato is “rat.” Colloquialism, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/li_l_Dickie_Dirtz)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/4 "2003-04-09T20:21:16Z")
“Rata” is rat. Vato means “dude” or “guy” or “buddy,” as **Biffy** wrote. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/5 "2003-04-09T20:43:14Z")
Here’s a lead: [http://www.radio101.it/soul/dictiona.html#v](http://www.radio101.it/soul/dictiona.html#v) > [@](#): > > vato > (n) East LA hispanic slang, meaning homeboy. Vato, cholo, call us what you will – Kid Frost (La Raza [1990]). ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/6 "2003-04-09T20:46:58Z")
“vato loco” also seems to be a common usage. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/7 "2003-04-09T23:25:56Z")
White boy who grew up in the barrio here. In the 60’s the gang members would call each other vato in the same maner that today they might say bro, or homeboy. I had the feeling that vato loco was reserved as a term of respect for the really hard core gang bangers usually used to describe in the 3rd person. As in “He’s a real vato loco” ---
**Author:** ![xicanorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a88e57/32.png) [@xicanorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xicanorex)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/8 "2003-04-09T23:39:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by captainQwark \* > \*\*Hispanics in my hometown use the word vato quite a lot. It seems that it refers to a “cool” person. Does anyone know of its exact meaning and its origin? \*\* **Vato** just means “dude” or “buddy”. Extensively used in the Mexican-American communities across the US. It usage has spread in other Latino communities. Slang. It’s used as in “¿Hey, vato, que horas son? Pasate un churro, huey.” “Vato loco” just means “crazy dude” in the same we say in English “He is one crazy mofo.” XicanoreX ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vato/167587/9 "2003-04-09T23:41:02Z")
Just be careful in your pronunciation. You don’t _ever_ want to call anyone a **“pato”**. :eek: