Che
/tʃeɪ/noun
A nickname or title referring especially to the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Did you know?Guevara was called “Che” because he frequently used the Argentine conversational interjection che, roughly meaning “hey,” “mate,” or “friend.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Guarani
che
“I, me, or my; often cited as a possible influence on Argentine che”
18th–19th Century
Rioplatense Spanish
che
“An informal interjection addressing someone, comparable to “hey,” “you,” or “mate””
1928
Spanish
Che
“Applied as a nickname to Ernesto Guevara, born in Rosario, Argentina”
1950s–1960s
Spanish
Che Guevara
“The revolutionary name by which Ernesto Guevara became internationally known”
20th Century
English
Che
“A proper noun referring to Guevara or a person modeled after his revolutionary image”
Modern English
English
che
“A noun used chiefly in references to Che Guevara or his political legacy”