pinche

See also: pinché and pinchë

Galician

Verb

pinche

1. inflection of pinchar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Portuguese

Verb

pinche

1. inflection of pinchar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpint͡ʃe/ [ˈpĩnʲ.t͡ʃe]

• Audio (Costa Rica):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -intʃe
• Syllabification: pin‧che

Etymology 1

Deverbal from pinchar. The semantic evolution has French origins “pincé,” meaning “pinched” or “caught.” During colonial times, cooks were known for their skill in manipulating food with their fingers, especially when seasoning it. This skill earned them the nickname “pinches,” alluding to their ability to pinch ingredients with precision.

Adjective

pinche m or f (masculine and feminine plural pinches)

1. (Mexico, vulgar) fucking, goddamned

   Synonyms: maldito, puto

   • 2017, Prem Dayal, Autobiografía de un pinche güey:

     Y luego, cuando estos hijos que tanto querías vienen a este pinche mundo, te comienzas a quejar de cómo son, los tratas mal, los adiestras como animales de circo […]

     And then, when those children that you wanted so much come to this fucking world, you start complaining about how they are, you treat them wrong, you train them like circus animals […]

2. (Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, also by a minority in El Salvador) stingy, cheap

   Synonym: tacaño

Noun

pinche m or f by sense (plural pinches)

1. (Mexico, Spain) a kitchen servant

Noun

pinche m (plural pinches)

1. (Chile, Puerto Rico) hairpin (fastener for the hair)

Etymology 2

Verb

pinche

1. inflection of pinchar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

pinche m (plural pinches)

1. (uncountable) Taushiro (language)

Further reading

• “pinche”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024
• “pinche”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010