canijo

Spanish

Etymology

Probably from Latin canicula (through a contracted Vulgar Latin form *canicla, later becoming an adjective of both genders). Doublet of canícula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈnixo/ [kaˈni.xo]
• Rhymes: -ixo
• Syllabification: ca‧ni‧jo

Adjective

canijo (feminine canija, masculine plural canijos, feminine plural canijas) (colloquial)

1. short; stumpy
   • 1875, Benito Pérez Galdós, Un faccioso más y algunos frailes menos:

     le cogía por la muñeca, a él, el pobre anciano flaco y canijo

     He grabbed him by his wrist, the poor old weak short man

2. weedy; wussy

Derived terms

• encanijar

 

Noun

canijo m (plural canijos, feminine canija, feminine plural canijas) (colloquial)

1. kid; whippersnapper

   Synonyms: joven, chamaco

   me siento un canijo

   I feel like a kid

2. shorty
3. weed; wuss; pussy
4. (colloquial) badass

Derived terms

• cani

 

Further reading

• “canijo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10