chile
chile Lexical Profile
chile Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A long, narrow country located on the western edge of South America, bordered by the Andes Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
American The hot-tasting fruit of a pepper plant (genus Capsicum), often used fresh, roasted, or dried as a vegetable or spice; a regional spelling variant of chili.
"She ordered a breakfast burrito smothered in roasted green chile."
Word Nuance & Usage
The spelling 'chile' is predominantly used in the American Southwest to refer to the hot pepper, whereas 'chili' or 'chilli' is more standard elsewhere. When capitalized, it refers exclusively to the South American country.
• Rhymes for chile
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The word for the pepper originates from Classical Nahuatl 'chīlli'. The name of the South American country is of uncertain Indigenous origin, possibly from the Mapudungun word 'chilli' (where the land ends) or the Quechua word 'chiri' (cold).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.