chism

C3H4I1S1M3
/ˈt͡ʃɪzəm/

noun

A shoot or sprout; a bud.

OriginMiddle English chis ← Old English ċīþ ← Proto-West Germanic *kīþ →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

chism1

nounchism (plural chisms)

plural chisms · alternative chisom · alternative chissom · alternative chizzum · alternative chizzom

  1. dialectalA shoot or sprout; a bud.
verbchism (third-person singular simple present chisms, present participle chisming, simple past and past participle chismed)

present singular third person chisms · participle present chisming · participle past chismed · past chismed · alternative chisom · alternative chissom · alternative chizzum · alternative chizzom

  1. dialectalTo sprout, bud, or germinate.

Chism2

proper nounChism (plural Chisms)

plural Chisms

  1. A surname.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*kīþą
  2. Proto-West Germanic*kīþ
  3. Old Englishċīþ
  4. Middle Englishchis
  5. Englishchism

Uncertain. Possibly from *chissen, a plural of Middle English chis, chys (“sprout”), variant of Middle English chithe, from Old English ċīþ, from Proto-West Germanic *kīþ, from Proto-Germanic *kīþą.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Smich
Cite this entry
APA

chism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chism

MLA

“chism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chism.

Source: chism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.