Latinx is a gender-neutral noun or adjective to refer to a person from, or whose ancestors were from, a Spanish-speaking land or culture or from Latin America. Latinx is considered more gender inclusive and embraces those who do not wish to use the gendered Latino or Latina.
Merriam-Webster added the term, which originated in the early 2000s, to its dictionary in 2018.
The two most common terms to describe this community are Latino/Latina and Hispanic; they are often used interchangeably. According to an August article from the Pew Research Center, the U.S. government began using the term Hispanic in the 1970s, while Latino became popular in the 1990s.