chick

[chik]

noun

1. a young chicken or other bird.

2. a child.

3. Slang: Often Offensive.,  a term used to refer to a girl or young woman.

chick

/ tʃɪk /

noun

1. the young of a bird, esp of a domestic fowl

2. slang,  a girl or young woman, esp an attractive one

3. a young child: used as a term of endearment

Sensitive 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chick¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English chike, variant of chiken; chicken

Word History and Origins

Origin of chick¹

C14: short for _chicken

Example Sentences

Inside were rows of nesting boxes in which the chickens laid their eggs, and an incubator room with its own woodstove, so the room could be kept warm for baby chicks.

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It is not known for certain that the puffins seen this year managed to successfully rear a chick.

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Frankie was born in July and was the first chick to hatch from her nest and be reared by her parents at the park.

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In the late 1980s and early 1990s, red kite chicks from Spain and Sweden were released in the Chilterns on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border.

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Currently fans are waiting for the moment when this year's chicks, which began hatching at the end of September, attempt their first flight.

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Related Words

• gal 
• girl 
• woman 
• young woman www.thesaurus.com