chigger
chigger Lexical Profile
chigger Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American The six-legged larval stage of a harvest mite (family Trombiculidae) that is parasitic on humans and other vertebrates, known for causing intensely itchy red welts on the skin.
"After walking through the tall grass in shorts, he found his ankles covered in incredibly itchy bites from chiggers."
A small tropical flea (Tunga penetrans) whose pregnant females burrow into the skin of humans and animals to feed, causing painful lesions.
"Travelers in certain tropical regions are advised to wear protective footwear to prevent the chigger from burrowing into their feet."
Word Nuance & Usage
The term 'chigger' most commonly refers to harvest mite larvae in North America, but is occasionally used in tropical regions to refer to the unrelated chigoe flea.
• Rhymes for chigger
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in the late 18th century, likely as an alteration of 'chigoe', a word of Cariban origin referring to a tropical flea, which was later applied to harvest mite larvae in North America.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.