The term "chad" originally refers to a small piece of paper or cardboard that is punched out of a larger sheet, often in the context of voting ballots. It gained notoriety during the 2000 United States presidential election when issues arose from ballots that had not fully detached from the paper, leading to debates about voter intent and ballot validity. In a broader context, "chad" has also been used to describe a young man or a boy, especially one perceived as smugly self-satisfied or entitled.
The word "chad" is believed to have originated from the name "Chad," meaning an acronym for "Counted Hand Annotated Data." However, its current meaning as a slice or fragment may stem from Middle English, where it referred to an object or material that has been cut.