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Glite Dictionary
chitlin

chitlin

1 9.1
A food made from small pig intestines that are cleaned and cooked, often in Southern US cooking
  • noun
  • /ˈʧɪtlɪn/
  • US
: chitlins
  • The General was peddling chitlins.
  • chitlin pot
  • eating chitlins
  • chitlins and collard greens

Examples

  • Many Southern families enjoy preparing chitlins as part of their holiday meals.

  • My mom's made a big-ass pot of chitlins.

    Menace II Society (1993)

  • We're just heading out on the 'chitlin circuit' again.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • A pot full of chitlins and a good time.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • General Washington did any odd jobs he could find around the Washington market, but his specialty was selling chitlins.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I also love blood wurst, head cheese, and even snails and chitlins.

    Blog text (1)

  • Must be cookin' chitlins.

    Doctor Dolittle (1998)

  • At the festival, we tasted delicious chitlins seasoned with spices and served with hot sauce.

  • He reminisced about his grandmother's famous chitlins, which were always served with cornbread.

Synonyms

chitlins
vschitlin
  • US
6 9.6

Cooked pig intestines eaten as food, often in the American South

is the singular form referring to the food in general
chitterlings
vschitlin
  • US
1 9.9

Small pig intestines that people clean and cook to eat

is described with Southern US cuisine emphasis in its definition
chitlings
vschitlin
  • US
1 9.9

Small pig intestines that are cleaned and cooked as food

is the same but stresses regional use rather than general naming

Surface Forms

chitlin singular
chitlins plural

Etymology

Chitlin comes from the older word chitterling, which meant 'small intestines' used as food. A helpful way to remember it is to think of 'chitter' as a small, twisting sound or movement like the long, twisty intestines, so chitlin now means the cleaned pig small intestines that are cooked and eaten.