Chique

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Fashionably elegant and sophisticated in dress or manner ; a tiny parasitic flea whose female burrows into the skin of humans and animals, mainly in the tropics
2. Having a smart, polished style that is admired for its refinement ; a small burrowing flea common in the Caribbean and tropical regions that lodges under the skin
3. Tastefully stylish and fashionable in appearance ; a minute jigger flea found in warm climates that embeds itself beneath the skin of hosts

Etymology: The name belongs to a tiny flea that burrows under human skin, usually on the feet, where the female swells to the size of a pea as she lays her eggs. Its name came into French from a Caribbean language, probably one of the Arawakan languages of the region, and English took it from French as "chigoe." The insect was known to European travelers in the Americas and West Africa, where it spread. Speakers of Spanish and Portuguese borrowed related forms, and the name stayed attached to the parasite through colonial trade. The creature's habit of burrowing is why the word is sometimes linked with "chigger," though the two words are not the same creature.