chamaco

Spanish

Etymology

Possibly from Classical Nahuatl chamahuac (“plump”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃaˈmako/ [t͡ʃaˈma.ko]
• Rhymes: -ako
• Syllabification: cha‧ma‧co

Noun

chamaco m (plural chamacos, feminine chamaca, feminine plural chamacas)

1. (informal, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico) a boy or teenager; a male youth
   • 1967, Antonio Domínguez Hidalgo, Lo ineludible y otros cruentos:

     Extrañamente seducido por aquel chamaco se dejó llevar por algunas callejuelas del barrio.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (derogatory, Mexico) a kid (in general)

Further reading

• “chamaco”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025