chico
chico Lexical Profile
chico Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American A boy or young man, frequently used in informal settings or as a friendly term of address.
"Hey, chico, pass me the wrench so we can finish fixing up this engine."
American A city in Butte County, northern California, United States, situated in the Sacramento Valley and known for its prominent state university and large municipal park.
The sweet, brown, edible fruit of the sapodilla tree, native to southern Mexico and Central America but widely cultivated in the Philippines and other tropical regions.
"She bought a basket of ripe, sugary chicos from the local market to make a refreshing tropical dessert."
Word Nuance & Usage
In English, 'chico' functions variously as an informal term of address borrowed from Spanish, a proper geographical name, and a regional name for the tropical sapodilla fruit, requiring contextual awareness to distinguish.
• Rhymes for chico
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish 'chico' (meaning 'small' or 'boy'), which derives from Latin 'ciccus' (a trifle). The fruit name is a shortening of Mexican Spanish 'chicozapote', originating from Nahuatl 'tzapotl'. The California city is named after the Spanish land grant Rancho Arroyo Chico.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.