Etymology

chin-chin

Today it means: A salutation, especially a drinking toast. Full definition →

Chinese Pidgin English chin-chin ← Shanghainese 請 /请 ← Italian cincin
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chin-chin · interjection, verb1

  1. Italian · borrowed fromcincin
  2. Shanghainese · derived from請 /请“please”
  3. Chinese Pidgin English · borrowed fromchin-chin
  4. English todaychin-chin

From Chinese Pidgin English chin-chin, a reduplication of Shanghainese 請 /请 (⁵chin, “please”). Sometimes, especially in Italianate spellings, reborrowed from Italian cincin.

chin-chin · noun2

Duplication of chin in its various senses. Compare chinwag.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.