Chile

[chil-ee] /ˈtʃɪl i/

noun
1.
.
[chil-ee; Spanish chee-le] /ˈtʃɪl i; Spanish ˈtʃi lɛ/
noun
1.
a republic in SW South America, on the Pacific Coast. 286,396 sq. mi. (741,765 sq. km).
Capital: Santiago.
[chil-ee] /ˈtʃɪl i/
noun, plural chilies.
1.
Also called chili pepper. the pungent pod of any of several species of Capsicum, especially C. annuum longum: used in cooking for its pungent flavor.
2.
.
3.
a meatless version of .
/ˈtʃɪlɪ/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of chilli
/ˈtʃɪlɪ/
noun
1.
a republic in South America, on the Pacific, with a total length of about 4090 km (2650 miles) and an average width of only 177 km (110 miles): gained independence from Spain in 1818; the government of President Allende (elected 1970) attempted the implementation of Marxist policies within a democratic system until overthrown by a military coup (1973); democracy restored 1988. Chile consists chiefly of the Andes in the east, the Atacama Desert in the north, a central fertile region, and a huge S region of almost uninhabitable mountains, glaciers, fjords, and islands; an important producer of copper, iron ore, nitrates, etc. Language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Santiago. Pop: 17 216 945 (2013 est). Area: 756 945 sq km (292 256 sq miles)

South American country, probably named from a local native word subsequently confused with Mexican Spanish chile “chili pepper” (see chili). Suggestions are that the native word means “land’s end” or else “cold, winter,” which would make a coincidental convergence with English chilly. Related: Chilean.
n.

also chilli, 1660s, from Nahuatl chilli, native name for the peppers. Not named for the South American country. As short for chile con carne and similar dishes, attested by 1846.

Republic in southern South America on the western slope of the Andes. Chile is a long, narrow strip of land bordered by Peru to the north, Bolivia and Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Santiago.

Note: In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet led a coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende, a Marxist.

Note: Pinochet suppressed human rights and political activity until he lost a plebiscite in 1988. A successor was chosen in free elections. In 1998, Pinochet was arrested in Great Britain on a Spanish warrant, but a court ruled him too ill to stand trial. He returned to Chile, where attempts to prosecute him continued.