Because the fabric was initially manufactured in China, the trousers were known in Spanish as pantalones chinos (Chinese pants), which was then reduced to "chinos" in English. Today, "chino" is used to describe any plain, dark-colored cotton garment. In the 15th century, the Chinese developed a cotton textile called chintz that was popular in Europe and the Americas. The word chintz comes from the Chinese word for cotton, ginseng. So, chinos are Chinese pants.