The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CREOLES
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More clues leading to the result CREOLES
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "People of French descent in America" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case people of french descent in america = creoles.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CREOLES mean?
CREOLES noun- A descendant of white European settlers who is born in a colonized country.
- Anyone with mixed ancestry born in a country colonized by white Europeans, now especially one who speaks a creole language.
- Someone of black African descent who is born in the Caribbean or Americas (originally as opposed to an African immigrant).
- A native-born of Francophone descent in the Louisiana territory of any race, as opposed to Anglo-American and Acadian settlers.
- A lect formed from two or more languages which has developed from a pidgin to become a first language.