'Italian-American' definitions:
Definition of 'Italian-American'
From: GCIDE
- Hyphenated American \Hyphenated American\ An American who is referred to by a hyphenated term with the first word indicating an origin in a foreign country, and the second term being "American", as Irish-American, Italian-American, African-American, Asian-American. Used in reference to Americans of foreign birth or ancestry. When used of Americans of European ancestry, it is often used to refer to those who have a strong attachment to the ancestral country or its culture. It implies that the individual is imperfectly assimilated into American culture, and is sometimes used derogatively. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]