chaval
/t͡ʃaˈbal/ · B1 · noun · m
child
👦 chaval sounds a bit like chap: both are casual words for a lad
It comes from Caló, the Romani of Spain: chavó means boy, and chavale is how you call out to them, like 'hey lads!'. English got the same Romani root as 'chav'. Spaniards say ¡Oye, chaval! to mean 'hey, kid' or 'hey, mate'.