chile
- 01 A2 Elementary
a long, narrow country on the west coast of South America.
a sovereign state in western South America, bordered by the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Simple“Many people visit Chile to see the beautiful mountains and glaciers.”
In context“The diplomatic mission from Chile arrived in Geneva to discuss new trade agreements regarding copper exports.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
a small, spicy vegetable used to make food hot.
a regional spelling variant of 'chili', referring to the spicy fruit of plants in the genus Capsicum.
Simple“She added a chopped green chile to the salsa for extra heat.”
In context“The regional cuisine of New Mexico is famous for its specific varieties of roasted green chile.”
UsageThis spelling is particularly common in the Southwestern United States.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a way of saying 'child' in some parts of the United States.
a pronunciation spelling of 'child', characteristic of Southern American English and African-American Vernacular English.
Simple“Now listen here, chile, you need to be careful.”
In context“The author used the spelling 'chile' in the dialogue to capture the specific cadence of the character's Southern dialect.”
Teacher's tipLearners should recognize this in literature or informal speech but avoid using it in their own writing unless mimicking a specific dialect.
Borrowed from Spanish Chile, probably from Quechua chiri (“cold”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.