chiche

See also: chiché and chi che

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃiʃ/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French chiche, possibly from or related to Latin cīccum, or alternatively an expressive or onomatopoetic expression (compare Spanish chico, Catalan xic). The interjection probably derives from the "capable" sense, suggesting in its usage "not capable".

Adjective

chiche (plural chiches)

1. mean, stingy

   Synonyms: mesquin, radin

2. scanty, meagre, stingy
3. (colloquial, predicative only) able, capable

Interjection

chiche

1. I dare you!

Descendants

• → Russian: шиш (šiš) (possible)

Etymology 2

From Latin cicer (“chickpea”).

See pois chiche.

Further reading

• “chiche”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Old French

Etymology

Cf. Latin ciccum.

Adjective

chiche m (oblique and nominative feminine singular chiche)

1. miserly; stingy

Descendants

• French: chiche

Portuguese

Verb

chiche

1. inflection of chichar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃit͡ʃe/ [ˈt͡ʃi.t͡ʃe]
• Rhymes: -itʃe
• Syllabification: chi‧che

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Nahuatl chichi (“teat”).

Adjective

chiche (invariable)

1. (colloquial, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala) easy

   Synonym: fácil

   El examen estaba súper chiche.

   The test was super easy.

Noun

chiche f (plural chiches)

1. (colloquial, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico) breast (female organs)

   Synonyms: chichi, pecho, seno, teta, mama, busto

Noun

chiche m (plural chiches)

1. (colloquial, Argentina, Honduras, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru) breast (female organs)

   Synonyms: pecho, seno, teta, mama, busto

Etymology 2

Likely derived from Italian cicca (“trifle”). Doublet of chico.

Adjective

chiche m or f (masculine and feminine plural chiches)

1. (Paraguay, Bolivia, Rioplatense) dainty

Noun

chiche m (plural chiches)

1. (Bolivia, Southern Cone) A beautiful, small and usually delicate object.

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

chiche

1. inflection of chichar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “chiche”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “chiche”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010