Chia
/ˈtʃiː.ə/noun
A flowering plant native to Mexico and Guatemala whose small seeds are used as food.
Did you know?Classical Nahuatl-speaking peoples consumed chia seeds in drinks and foods, and the plant was important enough to appear in descriptions of Aztec tribute and agriculture.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
chīān
“Oily or oil-bearing; the seed of the chia plant”
16th Century
Classical Nahuatl
chía
“Chia seed or plant, recorded by Spanish observers in descriptions of Indigenous Mexican foods”
16th Century
Spanish
chía
“The chia plant and its edible seed, borrowed from Nahuatl”
16th–17th Century
English
chia
“A plant or seed known through Spanish and accounts of the Americas”
Modern English
English
chia
“The plant Salvia hispanica, especially its nutrient-rich edible seeds”