chick
[chik]
- a young chicken or other bird.
- a child.
- Slang: Often Offensive. a term used to refer to a girl or young woman.
Show More
Origin of chick
Usage note
As a term used to refer to a young woman, chick is slightly dated. Originally it was perceived as insulting because of the perception that it infantilized women. Now the word has been embraced by some women as a positive term of self-reference and an expression of camaraderie. When used as a modifier, as in chick flick and chick lit, its meaning is not restricted to young women and its use is not offensive.
Corea
[kuh-ree-uh]
- Ar·man·do Anthony [ahr-mahn-doh] /ɑrˈmɑn doʊ/, Chick, born 1941, U.S. jazz pianist and composer.
Show More
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for chick
Contemporary Examples
“Chick Chick,” the latest tune by C-Pop sensation Wang Rong, is like “Gangnam Style” on MDMA.
The Most WTF Music Video of the Year: Wang Rong’s ‘Chick Chick’ is ‘Gangnam Style’ on MDMAMarlow Stern
November 16, 2014
Ernst responded by accusing Braley of sexism because his ad, which featured a baby bird not making a peep, had a “chick” in it.
Study by the University of Rochester indicates that couples who watch “chick flicks” together are less likely to get divorced.
“Given that my book was about a wedding, it was going to be a struggle to distance it from the chick lit category,” she said.
But the aforementioned “uptight” chick would have a hard time making a case for sexual assault under these specific circumstances.
Historical Examples
This is all of the egg which thus far represents the chick itself.
The Meaning of EvolutionSamuel Christian Schmucker
As yet, we have seen no arrangement for furnishing air to the chick.
The Meaning of EvolutionSamuel Christian Schmucker
They never stopped long where there were houses; they had no wife, no chick, no home, never a chum.
To-morrowJoseph Conrad
If we say the chick is unintelligent, we must certainly say the infant is unintelligent.
Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. IHerbert Spencer
I expressed to him my surprise that he should fuss about me like an old hen over a chick.
The Arrow of GoldJoseph Conrad
chick
- the young of a bird, esp of a domestic fowl
- slang a girl or young woman, esp an attractive one
- a young child: used as a term of endearment
Show More
Word Origin
C14: short for chicken
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for chick
n.
mid-14c., shortening of chicken (n.), extended to human offspring (often in alliterative pairing chick and child) and thence used as a term of endearment. As slang for "young woman" it is first recorded 1927 (in "Elmer Gantry"), supposedly from U.S. black slang. In British use in this sense by c.1940; popularized by Beatniks late 1950s. Chicken in this sense is from 1711. Sometimes c.1600-1900 chicken was taken as a plural, chick as a singular (cf. child/children) for the domestic fowl.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper