"bedbug," 1620s, from Spanish/Portuguese chinche (diminutive chinchilla) "bug," from Latin cimicem (nominative cimex) "bedbug," a word of uncertain origin. Related: Chinch-bug.
Entries linking to chinch
chinchilla n.
small South American rodent, 1590s, from Spanish, literally "little bug," diminutive of chinche (see chinch); perhaps a folk-etymology alteration of a word from Quechua (Inca) or Aymara.