Chick Is a Baby Bird and, Separately, Slang
A chick is a young bird, especially a chicken. Used of a woman it is dated slang that many now find dismissive.
A chick is a young bird, above all a newly hatched chicken. A second use, for a young woman, is twentieth-century slang and now carries a clear risk: many people read it as dismissive, and it survives mainly in fixed phrases like *chick flick* and *chick lit*, both of which are themselves often used disparagingly. The bird sense is entirely neutral and standard in farming and ornithology.
- A young bird. *A day-old chick.*
- A young woman (dated slang). *An old-fashioned use.*
- Chick flick — a film aimed at women. *A classic chick flick.*
- Chicken — the adult bird. *A laying hen.*
- Brood — the group of chicks. *A brood of ten.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | chick | One chick. |
| Plural | chicks | Ten chicks. |
| Related | chicken | A chicken. |
| Compound | chickpea | Unrelated word. |
| Verb phrase | hatch | The eggs hatched. |
- The chicks hatched overnight.Farming.
- Puffin chicks leave the burrow at night.Ornithology.
- The slang use now sounds dated.Register warning.
Young animals, named
- Chick — a young bird
- Duckling, gosling, cygnet — duck, goose, swan
- Owlet, eaglet, eyas — owl, eagle, young hawk
- Poult — a young turkey or game bird
- Fledgling — any bird just grown enough to fly
A shortening of Middle English *chicken*, from Old English *cicen*. The slang use for a young woman is recorded from the early 1900s.
Is calling a woman a chick offensive?
Many people find it dismissive, and it sounds dated. In neutral writing, avoid it.
Is chickpea related to chick?
No. Chickpea comes from Latin cicer, the name of the plant, and the resemblance is accidental.