chencha

Galician

Alternative forms

• xenxa

Etymology

Uncertain; perhaps a semi-learned borrowing from Latin scientia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃent͡ʃa̝/, /ˈt͡ʃɛnt͡ʃa̝/

Noun

chencha f (plural chenchas)(informal)

1. head; intelligence; reason

   Synonyms: cabeciña, sentidiño

   Pobre home! Está mal da chencha!

   Poor man! He's got mad!

   (literally, “He's unwell in the head”)

2. skill

   Synonym: xeito

   Ela ten moita chencha niso.

   She has a lot of skill at that.

References

• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “chencha”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “chencha”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “chencha”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN