chiche

• IPA^(key): /ʃiʃ/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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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".

chiche (plural chiches)

1. mean, stingy

   Synonyms: mesquin, radin

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

chiche

1. I dare you!

• → Russian: шиш (šiš) (possible)

From Latin cicer (“chickpea”).

See pois chiche.

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

Cf. Latin ciccum.

chiche m (oblique and nominative feminine singular chiche)

1. miserly; stingy

• French: chiche

chiche

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

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

Borrowed from Nahuatl chichi (“teat”).

chiche (invariable)

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

   Synonym: fácil

   El examen estaba súper chiche.

   The test was super easy.

chiche f (plural chiches)

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

   Synonyms: chichi, 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

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

chiche m or f (masculine and feminine plural chiches)

1. (Paraguay, Bolivia, Rioplatense) dainty

chiche m (plural chiches)

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

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

chiche

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

• “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