different between posh vs chic

English

Etymology

Unknown.

Most likely derived from Romani posh (“half”), either because posh-kooroona (“half a crown”) (originally a substantial sum of money) was used metaphorically for anything pricey or upper-class, or because posh-houri (“half-penny”) became a general term for money.

A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin". An example is given from Page's Eavesdropper (1888): "They used such funny terms: 'brads,' and 'dibbs,' and 'mopusses,' and 'posh' ... at last it was borne in upon me that they were talking about money."

Evidence exists for a slang sense from the 1890s meaning dandy, which is quite possibly related.

A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the cooler, north-facing cabins taken by the most aristocratic or rich passengers travelling from Britain to India and back. However, there is no evidence for this claim.

See also the articles mentioned in the References section below for additional discussion.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??/, IPA^(key): /p???/ (humorous or upper-class)
• Rhymes: -??

Adjective

posh (comparative posher or more posh, superlative poshest or most posh)

1. Associated with the upper classes.

2. Stylish, elegant, exclusive (expensive).

3. (usually offensive, especially in Scotland and Northern England) Snobbish, materialistic, prejudiced, under the illusion that one is better than everyone else.

Quotations

• 1919: "Well, it ain't one of the classic events. It were run over there." Docker jerked a thumb vaguely in the direction of France. "At a 'Concours Hippique,' which is posh for 'Race Meeting.' — Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, June 18, 1919

Derived terms

• posh wank
• poshen
• poshdom
• poshful
• poshly
• poshness
• posho
• poshy

Translations

Interjection

posh!

1. An exclamation expressing derision.
   • 1889: "The czar! Posh! I slap my fingers--I snap my fingers at him." — Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Was

Noun

posh (uncountable)

1. fragments produced by an impact
2. slush

Verb

posh (third-person singular simple present poshes, present participle poshing, simple past and past participle poshed)

1. (normally in the phrasal verb posh up) To make posh, or posher.

   Synonym: poshen

References

• posh at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Hosp., OHPs, PHOs, Soph, hops, hosp, phos, shop, soph

Maricopa

Noun

posh

1. cat

Romani

Alternative forms

• push

Etymology

From Old Armenian ???? (p?oši). Doublet of poshík.

Noun

posh

1. dust

References

• A?a?ean, Hra??eay (1979) , “????”, in Hayer?n armatakan ba?aran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume IV, 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 517a
• Vaillant, Jean-Alexandre (1868) , “pos'”, in Grammaire, dialogues et vocabulaire de la langue des Bohémiens ou Cigains (in French), Paris: Maisonneuve, page 123a

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French chic (“elegant”), probably from German Schick (“elegant appearance; tasteful presentation”), from Middle High German schicken (“to outfit oneself, fit in, arrange appropriately”), causative of Middle High German geschehen, gesch?n (“to happen, rush”), from Old High German giskehan (“to happen”), from Proto-Germanic *skehan? (“to run, move quickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *skek- (“to run, jump, spring”). The word is akin to Dutch schielijk (“hasty”), schikken (“to arrange”), Old English sc?on (“to happen”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sh?k, IPA^(key): /?i?k/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?ik/
• Rhymes: -i?k
• Homophones: sheik, sheikh (one pronunciation)

Adjective

chic (comparative chicer or more chic, superlative chicest or most chic)

1. Elegant, stylish.

Synonyms

Antonyms

• inelegant, unelegant
• unchic
• unfashionable
• unstylish

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

chic (countable and uncountable, plural chics)

1. (chiefly uncountable) Good form; style.
2. (countable) A person with (a particular type of) chic.

Usage notes

The noun chic is very often used with an attributive noun or adjective modifier, indicating the kind of style, such as “boho-chic”, “heroin chic”, “shabby chic”, and so on.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• chic on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• list of chics on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “‘Chic,’ Its History”, in Notes and Queries: A Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, etc., volume VIII (5th Series), issue 197, London: Published at the office, […] by John Francis, 6 October 1877, pages 261–262.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Yucatec Maya chi?ik (“coati; buffoon”).

Noun

chic (plural chics)

1. A kind of ritual buffoon or clown in Yucatec Maya culture.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French chic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ik/
• Hyphenation: chic
• Rhymes: -ik

Adjective

chic (comparative chiquer, superlative chicst)

1. chic, elegant

   Synonym: sjiek

Inflection

Derived terms

• chic de friemel
• chicheid

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from French chic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??ik/, [??ik]

Adjective

chic (comparative chicimpi, superlative chicein)

1. chic

Declension

French

Etymology

Probably from German Schick (“elegant appearance; tasteful presentation”), from Middle High German schicken (“to outfit oneself, fit in, arrange appropriately”), causative of Middle High German geschehen, gesch?n (“to happen, rush”), from Old High German giskehan (“to happen”), from Proto-Germanic *skehan? (“to run, move quickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *skek- (“to run, jump, spring”). The word is akin to Dutch schielijk (“hasty”), schikken (“to arrange”), Old English sc?on (“to happen”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ik/
• Rhymes: -ik
• Homophones: chics, chique, chiquent, chiques

Adjective

chic (plural chic or chics)

1. elegant
2. considerate

Usage notes

Chic is either used invariably, in which case the spelling of the plural is chic, or has the plural chics for both the masculine and the feminine forms.

Derived terms

• bon chic bon genre

Descendants

• ? Dutch: chic, sjiek
• ? English: chic
• ? Finnish: chic
• ? German: schick
• ? Limburgish: sjiek
• ? Polish: szyk
• ? Portuguese: chique
• ? Spanish: chic

Noun

chic m (plural chic)

1. elegance
2. skillfulness; adroitness

Further reading

• “chic” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??k/
• Rhymes: -?k

Adjective

chic (comparative chicer, superlative am chicsten)

1. Alternative spelling of schick

Usage notes

• While the spelling chic is correct for the uninflected adjective, all inflected forms are nonstandard. Correctly, inflected forms must be derived from the preferred spelling schick.

Declension

Further reading

• “chic” in Duden online

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ç?c/

Noun

chic

1. Lenited form of cic.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French chic.

Adjective

chic (plural chics)

1. elegant

Noun

chic m (uncountable)

1. elegance

Yucatec Maya

Noun

chic

1. Obsolete spelling of chi?ik