maquiladora

ma·qui·la·do·ra  (mä-klä-drä)

n.

An assembly plant in Mexico, especially one along the border between the United States and Mexico, to which foreign materials and parts are shipped and from which the finished product is returned to the original market.

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[American Spanish, place where the miller's fee is paid, maquiladora, from Spanish maquila, portion received by the miller in return for milling one's grain, from Old Spanish, from Arabic makla, measured, measure of capacity, feminine passive participle of kla, to measure; see kwl in Semitic roots.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

maquiladora - an assembly plant in Mexico (near the United States border); parts are shipped into Mexico and the finished product is shipped back across the border assembly plant - a factory where manufactured parts are assembled into a finished product U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. - North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776