Etymograph

English

chic

Chic comes from French chic ‘elegant’.

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentchic1‘elegant’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1842chic1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English chic
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, – 1844 July, Charles Dickens: “Mrs. Hominy, sir, is the lady of Major Hominy,…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentchicWiktionary, English chic‘elegant’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1842chicWiktionary, English chic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, – 1844 July, Charles Dickens: “Mrs. Hominy, sir, is the lady of Major Hominy,…”

The story

Borrowed from French chic (‘elegant’), which in turn is probably borrowed from German Schick (‘elegant appearance; tasteful presentation’). The word is akin to Dutch schielijk (‘hasty’), schikken (‘to arrange’) and Old English sċēon (‘to happen’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *skeg-

shackle, 2 more

through Proto-Germanic *skehaną ‘to move quickly, happen’

shoe, 3 more

Another origin of chic

  1. nai-miz-proprehistoric (reconstructed)*ȼikureconstructed
  2. Yucatec Mayamodernchiʼik‘coati’
  3. Englishtodaychic

Today it means

adj Elegant, stylish.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “chic”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / French chic / chic

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