Ta·ras·can (t?-rä?sk?n) also Ta·ras·co (-rä?sk?)n. pl. Ta·ras·cans also Tarasco or Ta·ras·cos 1. a. A member of a Mesoamerican Indian people of southwest Mexico whose civilization was at its height from the 14th century until the Spanish conquest.b. A descendant of this people.2. The language of the Tarascans, of no known linguistic affiliation.[Spanish tarasco, perhaps from Tarascan tarascue, father-in-law, brother-in-law (a general term of respect with which Tarascans addressed the Spanish after their arrival).]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Ta?ras?can (t??ræs k?n, -?r?s-) n. 1. a member of an American Indian people of N Michoacán in Mexico. 2. the language of the Tarascans. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.