chiche

See also: chiché and chi che

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃiʃ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French chiche, possibly from or related to Latin ciccum, 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

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

chiche (invariable)

1. (colloquial, 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: pecho, seno, teta, mama, busto

chiche m (plural chiches)

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

   Synonyms: pecho, seno, teta, mama, busto

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), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16