Chicana

noun

Chi·​ca·​na chi-ˈkä-nə How to pronounce Chicana (audio)
 also  shi-
: an American woman or girl of Mexican descent
Chicana adjective

Examples of Chicana in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The final exhibition before the pandemic was a retrospective of the late Chicana feminist artist Yolanda López, who was raised in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 In the United States, California has always held promises of self-reinvention, and Hernández brings Chicana feminism into the enterprise. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Her decades-long career celebrates the history of the Latino community in Arizona and the greater Southwest region in addition to paving the way at the university for its Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies program. The Arizona Republic, 28 Jan. 2024 In the spirit of Lent and the season of love, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is hosting a special cooking class taught by award-winning East L.A. recipe developer Nicole Presley, who puts a Chicana twist on chiles rellenos. Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 The rain did not keep Stevie Ruiz, a Cal State Northridge professor in the Chicana and Chicano studies department, from protesting. Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024 The wing is also home to Chicana artist Barbara Carrasco’s mural L.A. Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Jan. 2024 Mesa-Bains sees Sor Juana’s story as creating a sense of community among Chicana women but also investing the individual with pride and confidence. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 13 Jan. 2024 The same status awaits Gloria Molina, the Chicana lawmaker who blazed political paths in a career that took her from Sacramento to City Hall to the Board of Supervisors. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Chicana.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish, feminine of chicano

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Chicana was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near Chicana

Cite this Entry

“Chicana.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chicana. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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