Machismo (; (from
Spanish "
macho", male); ) is the sense of being manly, the concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride...[with] the supreme
valuation of characteristics culturally associated with the masculine and by implication some say, a denigration of characteristics associated with the feminine." It is associated with "a man’s responsibility to provide for, protect, and defend his family." In revisionist American political usage,
William Safire says it refers to the "condescension of the swaggering male; the trappings of manliness used to dominate women and keep them 'in their place.'"