chongo

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃonɡo/ [ˈt͡ʃõŋ.ɡo]
• Rhymes: -onɡo
• Syllabification: chon‧go

Etymology 1

Of disputed origin. Possibly borrowed from Classical Nahuatl.

Noun

chongo m (plural chongos)

1. bun (hairstyle)
2. hair tie (hairstyle)

   Synonyms: mono, rodete, moño

3. brothel; whorehouse
4. (in the plural) a Mexican dessert made with milk, sugar and cinnamon. The milk is scalded and rennet is added to start the formation of curds, like when making cheese
5. (Chile) blunt knife

Noun

chongo m (plural chongos, feminine chonga, feminine plural chongas)

1. (Argentina) friend with benefits, lover
2. (Uruguay) nasty, mean, or unpleasant person

Etymology 2

An alteration of Mexican Spanish chango.

Noun

chongo m (plural chongos)

1. (Philippines, obsolete in Mexico) monkey

   Synonym: mono

See also

• chongos
• deschongar

 

References

• Spanish/English Words w/Nahuatl Origin
• Quilis, Antonio, Casado-Fresnillo, Celia, Quilis-Sanz, María José (1997) Los filipinismos y otras palabras de Filipinas contenidas en el «Diccionario» de la Academia‎^[1], Boletín de la Real Academia Española, page 55

Further reading

• “chongo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28