chigoe

[ chig-oh ]
/ ˈtʃɪg oʊ /

noun

a flea, Tunga penetrans, of tropical America and Africa, the impregnated female of which embeds itself in the skin, especially of the feet, of humans and animals and becomes greatly distended with eggs.
Also called chigoe flea, chigger, jigger, sand flea.

Origin of chigoe

Borrowed into English from Carib around 1685–95

Words nearby chigoe

chifley, chigetai, chigga, chigger, chignon, chigoe, chigwell, chihli, chihuahua, chikamatsu, chikee

Example sentences from the Web for chigoe

British Dictionary definitions for chigoe

chigoe
/ (ˈtʃɪɡəʊ) /

noun

Also called: chigger, jigger, sand flea a tropical flea, Tunga penetrans, the female of which lives on or burrows into the skin of its host, which includes man
another name for chigger (def. 1)

Word Origin for chigoe

C17: from Carib chigo

Medical definitions for chigoe

chigoe
[ chĭg′ō ]

n.

A small tropical flea (Tunga penetrans) the fertilized female of which burrows under the skin, frequently under the toenails, causing intense irritation and sores that may become severely infected. jigger sand flea