What does chigoe mean?
The chigoe (Tunga penetrans) is a minute tropical flea, barely a millimetre long, notorious for the behaviour of its fertilized female: she burrows head-first into the skin—most often under the toenails or on the soles of the feet—and remains embedded there for weeks, swelling enormously as her body fills with hundreds of eggs before expelling them through the host's skin. The resulting nodule can be intensely irritating, prone to ulceration and secondary infection, and in severe cases leads to deformity or loss of toes. Native to Central and South America, the species was carried to Africa and now thrives across much of the tropics wherever people walk barefoot in sandy soil. The word also appears in older English texts as 'jigger'. Control relies on protective footwear, daily foot inspection, and sterile removal of the embedded flea.
nounA small tropical flea (Tunga penetrans), native to Central and South America and widespread in Africa, whose parasitic fertilized female burrows into the skin—usually of the feet—and swells up as it fills with eggs, causing irritation and sores.
- The burrowing flea Tunga penetrans, especially its egg-laden female, which embeds itself in the skin of humans and other mammals.
"Walking barefoot near the village wells, the children risked picking up a chigoe with every step."
"Health workers taught villagers to inspect their feet daily for any sign of a chigoe."
"An untreated chigoe can lead to ulceration, tetanus infection, or even loss of a toe."
Regular English plural, formed by adding -es.
"Several chigoes were found lodged between the patient's toes during examination."
The female chigoe flea burrows into your skin head-first, then swells to hundreds of times her size while releasing eggs — making 'jiggers' one of the most feared pests of the tropical world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chigoe
The word 'chigoe' entered English in the late seventeenth century, borrowed from Cariban languages of South America via early European accounts of the region, where the burrowing flea was already well known to indigenous peoples. Its spelling has varied considerably over the centuries (including forms such as 'chego' and 'chique'), reflecting the difficulty English speakers had with the source pronunciation. The related name 'jigger', used for the same insect, arose separately and may reflect West African influences such as Yoruba 'jigi', adopted after the flea spread to Africa during the colonial era.
How chigoe is actually used
Mostly encountered in medical, entomological, and travel-health contexts; also called the jigger flea or sand flea. The term is formal-scientific rather than everyday vocabulary, and it should not be confused with 'chigger' (a biting mite larva).
Easily confused with chigoe
Despite the similar name, a chigger is the tiny larva of a mite that causes intensely itchy bites on the skin's surface, whereas the chigoe is a flea whose gravid female burrows permanently into the flesh.