According to the RAE, the word kerocha means a set of eggs that have been laid by the queen bee or by any other insect queen with an abundant egg laying, for example, the wasp.
However, there is also a popular definition of querocha which means someone who is slow, clumsy or very slow in learning a certain thing.
SYNONYMS FOR Querocha
- Queresa
- Moscarda
- Cresa
ORIGIN OF Querocha
Although the etymological origin of the word querocha is of uncertain and unknown origin, it is suspected that it comes from the Latin caries which means rot or woodworm and that over the years it adopted a meaning referring to the laying of eggs of certain insects.
Querocha is an extremely unusual word that is usually used in academic or technical books referring to science, biology or in the area of beekeeping, but is also widely used in Latin American costumbrista literature to refer to dumb or stupid people, especially in rural or slum environments.
CURIOSITIES OF Querocha
There are certain definitions of querocha that are completely unrelated to its strict meaning and that have been adapted to popular and colloquial speech in a way that suits the particular context of certain phrases.
For example, in certain localities the word querocha may be used to refer specifically to a tropical fruit or to refer to a flirtatious and flattering person. Similarly, it is often used in a derogatory and vulgar way to refer to an ordinary, lowly and excessively uneducated or rude person.
Finally, there are also unofficial meanings to refer to certain trades or certain utensils, for example, it is usually referred to as querocha to a certain industrial kerosene, to a type of pole used in the marine maromas or to a gaucho utensil used to capture cattle.