Tico

T1I1C3O1

adjective

Costa Rican

“October 1946, National Geographic The musical intonation and liberal use of diminutives make Tico Spanish particularly effective for expressing sentiment and affection.”

OriginSpanish tico →
UncommonScrabble 6
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Meanings

adjectiveTico (not comparable)
  1. not comparableslangCosta Rican

    October 1946, National Geographic The musical intonation and liberal use of diminutives make Tico Spanish particularly effective for expressing sentiment and affection.

nounTico (plural Ticos)

plural Ticos

  1. slangCosta Rican

    Most of the people here are from the embassies. The Ticos—that's what the natives call themselves—come in the evening.

    1980, Leonard St. Clair, Obsessions

Origin

  1. Spanishtico
  2. EnglishTico

From Spanish tico which arose from the frequent use of the diminutive suffix -tico in Costa Rica.

More words from Spanish

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

oticcoitToci
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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