Meaning

noun trousers made with chino cloth

noun a coarse twilled cotton fabric frequently used for uniforms

originA term used by American veterans of the Spanish-American war. It is theorized that the cloth or the trousers were made in China. The American Heritage Dictionary says that the word is from American Spanish chino, literally "toasted", in reference to its usual color. But this is not a usual meaning of the Spanish word.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0