chinela

noun

chi·​ne·​la

variants or less commonly chinele

chə̇ˈnālə

plural -s

: slipper

especially : a flat slipper with no heel worn by Philippine women

Word History

Etymology

Spanish chinela, alteration of chanela, probably from Italian dialect cianella, variant of pianella, from piano flat (from Latin planus) + -ellą feminine diminutive suffix

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!