Meaning of Chambear (What is it, Concept and Definition)

What is Chambear:

Chambear is a verb used colloquially in Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras as a synonym for working .

Chambear was accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy in 2014 and indicates that the word derives from the old Portuguese chamba, which means both leg and rude.

In this sense, peasants were called chambas , who were generally those who worked in small jobs.

Related to the verb chambear, the word chamba is commonly used in Mexico, some countries in Central America, Ecuador and Peru and it refers to paid work.

In Mexico, it is popularly claimed that chamba was introduced by Mexican migrants from English chambers , in relation to the Chamber of Commerce ( Chambers of commerce in English), where many exercised mandatory “chamba”.

Chamba synonyms in their colloquial form we have “laburo” in Argentina, cahuelo ”in Peru and“ paste ”in Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile.

Chambear in reggaeton

In Puerto Rico, the verb chambear is used to indicate the action to prepare for a physical or verbal combat.

This concept of chambear has become known because Puerto Rican musicians of the reggaeton style use the expression "chambear and pull" as a metaphor that refers to the solitary llaneros that are found in duel: they load their gun (chambea) and then shoot (pull).

In reference to verbal confrontations, chambear would indicate the action of loading the words in the head and pulling would be the firing of them by the mouth.