chueco

Spanish

Etymology

From chueca (“stump of a tree”), itself from Basque txoko (“anklebone”), perhaps recalling curved, bent branches sprouting from it.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃweko/ [ˈt͡ʃwe.ko]
• Rhymes: -eko
• Syllabification: chue‧co

Adjective

chueco (feminine chueca, masculine plural chuecos, feminine plural chuecas)

1. (Latin America) crooked, bent, curved (not straight, having one or more bends or angles)

   Synonyms: combado, corvo, doblado, curvo, encorvado, gacho, torcido, zigzagueante

   Antonyms: derecho, recto

2. (Latin America) crooked, oblique, (not at right angles, horizontal or vertical)

   Synonyms: oblicuo, sesgado, inclinado

3. (Mexico, slang) hot, stolen

   Synonyms: robado, ilegítimo

   Antonyms: derecho, bueno, legítimo, legal

4. (Latin America) devious

Derived terms

• chuecura
• Punta Chueca

Further reading

• “chueco”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10