n.
Pronunciation: m ə - ˌ k ē -l ə - ' do ̇ r- ə , - ' th o ̇ r-
Function: noun
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 mak ī la measure of grain
Date: 1976
: a foreign-owned factory in Mexico at which imported parts are assembled by lower-paid workers into products for export