chigger

English

a harvest mite or chigger (Trombicula alfreddugesi)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɪɡɚ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From chigoe, likely from a Cariban language term such as Kari'na siko (“chigoe”) (early recorded variant chico), from Proto-Cariban *tikô.

Noun

chigger (plural chiggers)

1. A chigoe (Tunga penetrans), a kind of flea found in tropical climates.
2. A harvest mite (Trombiculidae spp.), a very small, red mite endemic to the Midwestern and Southeastern US, the infestation of which causes intense itching.

Synonyms

• (mite): harvest mite

Derived terms

• chigger weed (Anthemis cotula)

Translations

chigoe flea

• Alabama: wancholaski
• Finnish: hiekkakirppu (fi)
• French: puce chique (fr) f
• German: Sandfloh m (any Tungidae)
• Hungarian: homoki bolha, fekélybolha
• Japanese: スナノミ (ja) (sunanomi)
• Kikuyu: ndutu class 9/10, ngage class 9/10
• Spanish: nigua (es) f

harvest mite

• Alabama: wancholaski
• French: aoutat (fr) m
• Hungarian: bársonyatka
• Japanese: ツツガムシ (tsutsugamushi)
• Spanish: ácaro de la cosecha m, ácaro rojo m

Etymology 2

Blend of chink +‎ nigger

Noun

chigger (plural chiggers)

1. (US, slang, derogatory, offensive) An East Asian person who behaves in ways similar to a stereotypical urban African American.
   • 2007, James Boice, MVP: A Novel, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 37:

     —He's not black, Stacia Jacobs who smelled like pee said. — He's yellow and black. He's a chigger. Do you know what a chigger is? It's a chink and a nigger.

Alternative forms

• chigga