chincherinchee

[chin-chuh-rin-chee, -rin-chee, ching-kuh-]

noun

a bulbous plant, Ornithogalum thyrsoides, of the lily family, native to southern Africa, having dense clusters of cream-colored or white flowers.

Origin of chincherinchee

1925–30; < Afrikaans tjienkerientjee, perhaps tjienker- (< ?) + uintjie name for various edible bulbs (compare uietjie, diminutive of ui onion); often alleged to be imitative representation of the sound produced when the stalks are rubbed together

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for chincherinchee

chincherinchee

noun

a bulbous South African liliaceous plant, Ornithogalum thyrsoides, having long spikes of white or yellow long-lasting flowers

Word Origin for chincherinchee

of unknown origin

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