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Added 9 October 2026

chad

/t͡ʃæd/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about chad at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape.
A lake in north central Africa; fed by the Shari river.
A landlocked desert republic in north-central Africa; was under French control until 1960.

Origin

Uncertain; possibly from the English slang term chat (“louse”). The word predates the chadless punch, which therefore cannot be its origin, and a derivation from Scots chad (“river gravel”) stated in some dictionaries is now thought to be nothing more than guesswork.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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