maquiladora

noun

ma·​qui·​la·​do·​ra mə-ˌkē-lə-ˈdȯr-ə 

-ˈt͟hȯr-

: a foreign-owned factory in Mexico at which imported parts are assembled by lower-paid workers into products for export

Examples of maquiladora in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And if Interstate 19 ran through a different part of the Mexican-Arizonan border, surely Mexico's maquiladora operations would be located there instead. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2012

For every 10 maquiladora jobs in Juarez, for example, two more positions are created in El Paso, according to U.S. economic development officials. —Rick Barrett, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024

And to stir civic pride and bring back investment — especially in the maquiladora industry. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2022

Exhibits that showcased developments in the maquiladora industry. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2022

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish (planta, empresa) maquiladora, from maquilar to process (material) for a fee, from maquila processing fee, multure, from Spanish, multure, from Arabic dialect makīla measure of grain

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above