There is a horrible word which has become very common. That word is chav. Where does this word come from? asks Terry from Plumstead.

Simon says ... The word chav has indeed become very common in the past couple of years, finding its way into everyday language in all kinds of ways.

It was even named as Oxford University Press's word of 2004.

Synonymous with Burberry, jangling gold and sportswear, chav seems to have many meanings.

One of the more pleasant definitions is a "a young working class person who dresses in casual sports clothing".

However, there are plenty of derogatory descriptions too, such as "uneducated, uncultured and prone to antisocial or immoral behaviour" or "people who wear tracksuits, trainers, baseball caps and gaudy gold jewellery and who can be spotted in town centres on estates across the UK".

There are also many suggestions put forward for the origin of the word chav.

Some suggest is is an acronym for Council House, Aggression and Violence.

Some claim the word derives from Chatham in Kent and is short for "Chatham average". Others sugget the word comes from Cheltenham.

Most likely these definitions are more convenient than they are accurate, being fitted to the word after it became well-known.

The most likely origin of the word chav is the mid-19th century Romany word chavi', meaning boy or lad.

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