chigger

IPA/ˈtʃɪɡə(r)/
IPA/ˈtʃɪɡər/

chigger — noun

  • chiggersingular
  • chiggersplural

1. a tiny flea found in tropical regions; the female digs into the host's skin and

1.nounC2
Definition

a tiny flea found in tropical regions; the female digs into the host's skin and deposits her eggs there, which creates painful, swollen sores

Example

After walking barefoot through the village, Bilal found a chigger burrowed deep into the skin of his big toe.

The nurse at the clinic removed a chigger that had already laid eggs under Jisoo's skin.

laid eggs under the skin — reproductive behaviour of the chigoe flea

Common collocations
  • chigger burrows into the skin
  • remove a chigger with a needle
  • chigger lays eggs under the skin
Synonyms
  • chigoe

    the technical name for this flea; used mainly in medical and scientific contexts

  • sand flea

    a common name for the same creature, especially in coastal regions

  • jigger

    a variant spelling and pronunciation of 'chigger' for this flea, now less common

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 (ITCHING MITE LARVA): this sense refers to the chigoe flea (Tunga penetrans), which burrows into skin and lays eggs, causing painful sores. It is far less common in everyday English than sense 2.

2. the larva of a tiny reddish-orange mite; it clings to the skin of people and ani

2.nounC2
Definition

the larva of a tiny reddish-orange mite; it clings to the skin of people and animals and eats skin cells, causing intensely itchy red welts

Example

After hiking through the tall field, Vikram's legs were covered in chigger bites that itched for days.

Apinya scratched the red chigger welts on her ankles until the skin broke and bled.

red chigger welts — characteristic symptom of chigger bites

Common collocations
  • chigger bites
  • chigger welts
  • chigger infestation
  • covered in chiggers
Synonyms
  • harvest mite

    a common name for the adult mite; 'chigger' specifically refers to the larval stage

  • red bug

    a colloquial name used in the southern United States for chiggers

  • berry bug

    a regional name used in parts of North America, less widely known

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (BURROWING FLEA): this is the common meaning of 'chigger' in North America. It refers to a mite larva that causes intensely itchy red bumps, not the tropical flea that burrows into skin and lays eggs.

Common Mistakes

I got mosquito bites all over my legs at the park.
I got chigger bites all over my legs at the park.
mosquito bites are larger, itch for a shorter time, and usually appear singly; chigger bites are tiny, intensely itchy, and often appear in clusters around the ankles and waist.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Chigger, chigoe, jigger, and sand flea are often confused because early English speakers in the Americas used all of them for small skin pests. In modern usage, however, they refer to two different creatures. Chigger (sense 2) and harvest mite both describe the larva of a trombiculid mite — a tiny reddish-orange arachnid that clings to the skin, feeds on skin cells, and leaves behind intensely itchy red welts. Chigoe, jigger, and sand flea, by contrast, all refer to a tropical flea (Tunga penetrans) whose female burrows into the host's skin and lays eggs, producing painful, swollen sores. In casual speech, many people use 'chigger' loosely for both problems, but in precise language — and in medical contexts — they are entirely different parasites. Example: 'After that hike, my ankles are covered in chigger bites that itch like crazy' versus 'The doctor removed a chigoe from under the patient's toenail.'

chigoe ↗jigger ↗sand fleaharvest mite

Common collocations

Nouns

  • chigger bite
  • chigger infestation
  • chigger larva

Phrases

  • get a chigger
  • pick up a chigger
  • covered in chiggers

Prepositions

  • chigger in
  • chigger under the skin
  • chigger on

Etymology

West African (likely Wolof)Caribbean creoleFrench (chique)English

The word 'chigger' comes from 'chigoe,' which was borrowed into English in the 17th century from a Caribbean language, likely of West African origin (possibly Wolof or a related language). Early European colonists in the Americas applied the name to two different skin pests they encountered: the burrowing tropical flea (now called Tunga penetrans) and the larvae of trombiculid mites. Over time, 'chigger' became the common name for the mite larva in North America, while 'chigoe' remained the preferred term for the flea in medical and scientific writing.

First known use

1756

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1