calcha

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Mapudungun kallcha (“body hair”), from kaḻ (“hair”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkalt͡ʃa/ [ˈkalʲ.t͡ʃa]
• Rhymes: -altʃa
• Syllabification: cal‧cha

Noun

calcha f (plural calchas)

1. (poultry) hackle
   • 1915, Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Mitos y Supersticiones Recogidos de la Tradición Oral Chilena, page 22:

     Una gallina negra de grandes calchas (cernejas), rodeada de doce polluelos blancos.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• “calcha”, 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