*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of chili

Borrowed from Spanish chile, from Classical Nahuatl chīlli.

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 ↗
noun

The pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking. · Powdered chili pepper, used as a spice or flavouring in cooking. · A spicy stew of chicken or paneer, capsicum and onion, eaten as an appetizer.

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

Borrowed from Spanish chile, from Classical Nahuatl chīlli.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "chile"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish chile"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nci",
        "3": "chīlli"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Nahuatl chīlli"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "chile",
      "chile#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "chīlli",
      "chilli#Classical_Nahuatl"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "chili",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Malay",
      "lang_code": "ms",
      "word": "cili",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Pohnpeian",
      "lang_code": "pon",
      "word": "sele",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "tsili",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.",
        "Powdered chili pepper, used as a spice or flavouring in cooking.",
        "A spicy stew of chicken or paneer, capsicum and onion, eaten as an appetizer."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "685b4acaa6385271c7c824ea6f80f154c958919ba8bb445fb3697d678a3e6b74",
      "rawRecordSha256": "87f7f3ae770dd3230e7c69513c044855b15334679f7e9df4190a4cf4d1a481fb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 304666
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A dish made with chili peppers and other ingredients, such as beans and beef. · Cincinnati chili.

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

Ellipsis of chili con carne, from Spanish chile con carne (literally “chili with meat”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ellipsis",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "chili con carne"
      },
      "expansion": "Ellipsis of chili con carne"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "chile con carne",
        "lit": "chili with meat"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish chile con carne (literally “chili with meat”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "chili con carne",
      "chili con carne#English"
    ],
    [
      "chile con carne",
      "chile con carne#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A dish made with chili peppers and other ingredients, such as beans and beef.",
        "Cincinnati chili."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "uncountable",
        "Cincinnati"
      ],
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  }
}

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 chili →

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
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2hpbGk