Definition
Morisco refers to people in Iberia who were converted from Islam to Christianity, or descended from such converts, especially in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
Historical Usage
The term is tied to forced conversion, Christian royal policy, Inquisition scrutiny, social suspicion, the Alpujarras revolt, and expulsions from 1609 to 1614. It belongs to the early modern history of post-conquest Iberia, not to the whole history of Muslim Iberia.
That distinction matters because Morisco names a population shaped by coercion, surveillance, and contested assimilation. The category reflects Christian state power as much as it reflects the people placed inside it. Some Moriscos preserved aspects of older language, ritual memory, or community practice; others adapted in different ways under intense pressure. The term therefore names a political and social condition, not one simple identity.
Modern Usage
Use Morisco when discussing post-conquest Spain and Portugal, not as a label for every Muslim in medieval Iberia. If the chronology is late medieval or early modern, say so explicitly.
Common Confusion
Mudejar and Morisco are related but distinct. Mudejar points to Muslims living under Christian rule while still officially Muslim; Morisco points to converts and their descendants after conversion policy. Confusing the two collapses one of the biggest legal and social changes in Iberian history.