chicha

Where does the word "chicha" come from? It comes from Kuna chichab, passing through Spanish before entering English (1600s-1900s).

Chicha’s story begins in Kuna: chichab meant “maize.” Meant 'maize', the base ingredient of a fermented beverage made by peoples of Panama and Colombia. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as chicha. Adopted broadly by Spanish colonists as a generic term for indigenous fermented beverages. It reached English by 1600s-1900s as chicha. Borrowed into English through travel and anthropological writing on Latin America. Today, chicha means a traditional fermented (or unfermented) beverage made from maize or fruit, popular across Latin America.

1. Stage 1 · Kuna · pre-1500s chichab "maize", meant 'maize', the base ingredient of a fermented beverage made by peoples of Panama and Colombia.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s chicha "a fermented maize or fruit beverage", adopted broadly by Spanish colonists as a generic term for indigenous fermented beverages.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s-1900s chicha "a traditional fermented maize or fruit drink", borrowed into English through travel and anthropological writing on Latin America.