English word origin

Etymology of chick

From Middle English chicke, chike, variation of chiken (“chicken", also "chick”), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”). Sense of "young woman" dates to at least 1860 (compare chit (“young, pert woman”)). More at chi

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To sprout, as seed does in the ground; to vegetate. · To compress the lips and then separate them quickly, resulting in a percussive noise.

noun

A young bird. · A young chicken. · An attractive, young woman; or, more generally, a woman. · A friendly fighter aircraft.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionchickeenm
Inherited-form mentionċicenang

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "chicke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English chicke"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ċicen"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ċicen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "chicke",
      "chicke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chike",
      "chike#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chiken",
      "chiken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ċicen",
      "cicen#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ċycen",
      "cycen#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "chit",
      "chit#English"
    ],
    [
      "chicken",
      "chicken#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To sprout, as seed does in the ground; to vegetate.",
        "To compress the lips and then separate them quickly, resulting in a percussive noise."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "5ecb2b49f4c1c9a4d57fbce2808aed818a74193168a1b10883e9445a1293d11f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5a1850b1217a5ce893eef5775202c83bc5688fcde5280790ee9756e38aede78a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 167393
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A young bird.",
        "A young chicken.",
        "An attractive, young woman; or, more generally, a woman.",
        "A friendly fighter aircraft."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "especially",
        "colloquial",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "dc57158257034d4fd4bc8aa3fb71a51fbcca53c409cfd8f9cd4048dffc89b7c1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f00062a10b738cf680c7a5ef8fe36605f89754e402a2ca0061b2d489fedc50d2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 167392
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A screen or blind made of finely slit bamboo and twine, hung in doorways or windows.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi चिक़ (ciq) / Urdu چق (ciq)), ultimately from Classical Persian چق (čiq).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionचिक़hi
Borrowed-form mentionچقur

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-hnd"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hindustani"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "चिक़"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi चिक़ (ciq)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ur",
        "3": "چق",
        "tr": "ciq"
      },
      "expansion": "Urdu چق (ciq)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "چق",
        "tr": "čiq"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian چق (čiq)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "चिक़",
      "चिक़#Hindi"
    ],
    [
      "چق",
      "چق#Urdu"
    ],
    [
      "چق",
      "چق#Persian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A screen or blind made of finely slit bamboo and twine, hung in doorways or windows."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India",
        "Pakistan"
      ],
      "recordId": "1cc9d6fd8dd34bea3ed3bcf36bacbe1a9272991b03d6590963189ea6f93117fa",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9780953598c674396980e61743aa6f52f558f10737bccb3d10b0dceb3ae597df",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 167394
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for chick →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Y2hpY2s