chabin

From French chabine.

chabin

1. female equivalent of chaben

In Caribbean French Kwéyòl (spoken in e.g. Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Lucia and Dominica) this term is used without a gendered article, and to refer to women of African descent with pale skin (and more specifically, those with red, gold, blonde or light-brown hair). The masculine form of the word is "chaben", and the plural forms are "chabins" and "chabens". In the Kwéyòl-speaking Caribbean islands, the term is sometimes used as an adjective when included in English sentences e.g. "the chabin girl".

• shabin

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

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chabin m (plural chabins, feminine chabine)

1. sheep-goat hybrid, "geep"
2. (Antilles, slang) a person of African descent with pale skin

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “chabin”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 2: C Q K, page 309