chigger

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English

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A tiny insect
a harvest mite or chigger (Trombicula alfreddugesi)

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From chigoe, likely from a Cariban language term such as Kari'na siko (chigoe) (early recorded variant chico), from Proto-Cariban *tikô.

Noun

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chigger (plural chiggers)

  1. A chigoe (Tunga penetrans), a kind of flea found in tropical climates.
  2. A harvest mite (Trombiculidae spp.), a very small, red mite endemic to the Midwestern and Southeastern US, the infestation of which causes intense itching.
    • 2024 July 25, Carly Stern, “It’s Chigger Season. Here’s What to Know About the Pests.”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
      Dr. Lareau, an emergency medicine physician at Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital in Virginia, had seen these marks once or twice before on patients. She knew what had caused them. They were from chiggers, a species of tiny, reddish-brown mites able to leave bites that remain itchy for days or weeks.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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Blend of chink +‎ nigger

Noun

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chigger (plural chiggers)

  1. (US, slang, derogatory, offensive) An East Asian person who behaves in ways similar to a stereotypical urban African American.
    • 2007, James Boice, MVP: A Novel, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 37:
      —He's not black, Stacia Jacobs who smelled like pee said. — He's yellow and black. He's a chigger. Do you know what a chigger is? It's a chink and a nigger.
Alternative forms
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