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• chino
  chino

  noun

  a tough, twilled cotton cloth used for uniforms, sports clothes, etc.
• Chino
  Chino

  noun

  a city in SE California.
• Chino-
  Chino-

  a combining form representing Chinese in compound words.

chino

¹ American  

[chee-noh] / ˈtʃi noʊ /

noun

plural

chinos

1. a tough, twilled cotton cloth used for uniforms, sports clothes, etc.

2. Usually chinos trousers made of this material.

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adjective

1. made of chino.

chino ² American  

[chee-noh] / ˈtʃi noʊ /

noun

Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

plural

chinos

1. a person of mixed ancestry, usually Black and American Indian.

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Chino ³ American  

[chee-noh] / ˈtʃi noʊ /

noun

1. a city in SE California.

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Chino- ⁴ American  

1. a combining form representing Chinese in compound words.

   Chino-Tibetan.

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Chino- ¹ British  

combining form

1. of or relating to China See also Sino-

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chino ² British  

/ ˈtʃiːnəʊ /

noun

1. a durable cotton twill cloth

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Etymology

Origin of chino¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; of uncertain origin

Origin of chino²

From Mexican Spanish; further etymology disputed

Example Sentences

WSJ | Buy Side: See our review of the chino shorts one Buy Side editor wears all summer long.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Lizhong, un fabricante chino de rines para automóviles, está construyendo la primera fábrica de la compañía fuera de Asia en un parque industrial en Nuevo León.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2023

Johnnie Boden turned up for our chat in a smart polo shirt and chino shorts at his open plan HQ, littered with bright velvet coloured sofas.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2021

The candidate then sent a photo of him wearing baggy chino shorts, an orange polo and a zip-up vest.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2020

For a moment I thought of digging out New York clothes and putting on a puff for the boy, but I dropped that one and settled for clean chino slacks and a knitted shirt.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck