chico

See also: CHICO and Chico

English

Etymology

Borrowing from Spanish chico

Noun

chico (plural chicos)

1. (Canada, US, informal) A Latin-American boy; a Latino.
2. The fruit of the sapodilla, Manilkara zapota
3. (American Southwest, chiefly in the plural) Sweet corn that has been cooked and dried on the cob.

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Portuguese

Noun

chico m (plural chicos)

1. (Brazil, regional, slang) ass (the anus)
2. (Brazil, regional, slang) period (menstruation)

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃiko/

Etymology

Indirectly related to Latin ciccum (“insignificant thing; trifle”); found in several Romance languages as an expressive creation.

Adjective

chico (feminine singular chica, masculine plural chicos, feminine plural chicas)

1. small

   Synonyms: pequeño

Noun

chico m (plural chicos, feminine chica, feminine plural chicas)

1. boy; kid

   Synonyms: cabro, chamaco, chaval, chavo, muchacho, niño

Usage notes

The noun chico is like several other 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

Terms derived from chico

• achicar
• chicote
• chiquear

• chiquero
• chiquillo
• chiquitico

• chiquitín
• chiquitito
• chiquito

Further reading

• “chico” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

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Tagalog

Noun

chico

1. sapodilla fruit