chico
English
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Spanish chico.
Noun
chico (plural chicos)
- (Canada, US, informal) A Latin-American boy; a Latino.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Spanish chicozapote (through a regional abbreviation), from Nahuatl xicotzapotl. Cognate of chicle.
Noun
chico (plural chicos)
- The fruit of the sapodilla, Manilkara zapota.
Etymology 3
Perhaps from Spanish choclo, influded by chico.
Noun
chico (plural chicos)
- (American Southwest, chiefly in the plural) Sweet corn that has been cooked and dried on the cob.
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʃi.ku/
- Hyphenation: chi‧co
- Homophone: Chico
Noun
chico m (plural chicos)
- (Brazil, regional, slang) ass (the anus)
- (Brazil, regional, slang) period (menstruation)
Spanish
Etymology 1
Indirectly related to Latin ciccum (“insignificant thing; trifle”); found in several Romance languages as an expressive creation.[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃiko/ [ˈt͡ʃi.ko]
- Rhymes: -iko
- Syllabification: chi‧co
Adjective
chico (feminine chica, masculine plural chicos, feminine plural chicas)
- small
- Synonym: pequeño
Descendants
- → Papiamentu: chikí, chikitu
Noun
chico m (plural chicos, feminine chica, feminine plural chicas)
- boy; kid
- Synonyms: cabro, chamaco, chaval, chavo, muchacho, niño
Usage notes
The noun chico is like most Spanish nouns with a human referent. The masculine forms are used when the referent is known to be male, a group of males, a group of mixed or unknown gender, or an individual of unknown or unspecified gender. The feminine forms are used if the referent is known to be female or a group of females.
Derived terms
- achicar
- chicote
- chiquear
- chiquero
- chiquillo
- chiquitico
- chiquitín
- chiquitito
- chiquito
- flamenco chico
- letra chica
- patria chica
- perra chica
References
- Joan Coromines; José A. Pascual (1983–1991) Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos
Further reading
- “chico”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Yucatec Maya chiʼik.
Noun
chico m (plural chicos)
- (Mexico) white-nosed coati (Nasua Narica)
- (Mexico) raccoon (Procyon lotor)
References
- Schoenhals, Louise C. (1988) A Spanish - English Glossary of Mexican Flora and Fauna, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 583
Tagalog
Noun
chico
- Alternative spelling of tsiko