Chicana

or chi·ca·na

[ chi-kah-nuh, -kan-uh ]

adjective

1. of or relating to female Mexican Americans or their culture:

   a conference on Chicana issues.

noun

1. a Mexican American girl or woman.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chicana¹

First recorded in 1965–70; from Mexican Spanish, feminine of Chicano

Example Sentences

Admittedly, it would be sweet vindication for the Chicana singer born and raised in L.A., someone who is “always feeling like I wasn’t Mexican enough to win a Latin Grammy or to be nominated for a Latin Grammy.”

From Los Angeles Times

The co-host of ‘Drag Race Mexico’ sat down with columnist Suzy Exposito to discuss her illustrious television career, her Chicana pride and the freedom of being nonbinary.

From Los Angeles Times

Chris Zepeda-Millán, an associate professor of public policy, Chicana/o studies and political science at UCLA, is co-author of “Walls, Cages, and Family Separation: Race and Immigration Policy in the Trump Era.”

From Los Angeles Times

Garcia’s second album, “Cha Cha Palace,” delved further into what it meant to be a Chicana growing up bicultural in the San Gabriel Valley — a quintessentially American experience, yet a very individual one.

From New York Times

“The core of Chicano Studies is social justice, so how could you not be called into action?” said the master’s degree candidate in Chicana/o and Latina/o studies as his elders listened.

From Los Angeles Times