chou

See also: Chou, chōu, chóu, chǒu, and chòu

English

Etymology

From French chou (“cabbage”); compare French pâte à choux (“choux pastry”). Doublet of caulis, cole, and kale.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sho͞o, IPA^(key): /ʃuː/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uː
• Homophones: shoe, shoo, shew, SHU

Noun

chou (plural chous or choux)

1. (baking) Choux pastry, usually in the form of a small round cake with a sweet filling.
2. (fashion) A bunch, knot, or rosette of ribbon or other material, used as an ornament in women's clothing.
   • 1891, Locomotive Engineers Journal, volume 25, page 1146:

     Medium sized chous, or rosettes of the ribbon finish the trimming at bottom of chest opening, and at the waist points back and front.

Anagrams

• Chūō, ouch

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French chous, from Latin caulis, itself akin to or derived from Ancient Greek καυλός (kaulós).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃu/

• audio

  (file)

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

• Homophone: choux
• Rhymes: -u

Noun

chou m (plural choux)

1. cabbage

Noun

chou m (plural choux, feminine choute)

1. baby, darling, sweetheart (term of endearment)

Adjective

chou (feminine choute, masculine plural choux, feminine plural choutes)

1. cute, endearing

Usage notes

Only seven words in French ending in -ou have their plurals in -oux instead of -ous: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou.

Derived terms

• bête comme chou
• bout de chou
• chou à la crème
• chou blanc
• chou cabus
• chou chinois
• chou de Bruxelles
• chou de chien
• chou de Chine
• chou frisé
• chou pommé
• chou rouge
• chou vert
• chou vert et vert chou
• chou-fleur (cauliflower)
• chou-rave
• chouchou (term of endearment)
• coupe choux
• dans les choux
• faire chou blanc (draw a blank)
• faire ses choux gras
• feuille de chou
• ménager la chèvre et le chou
• pâte à choux
• prendre la chou

 

Further reading

• “chou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Japanese

Romanization

chou

1. Rōmaji transcription of ちょう
2. Rōmaji transcription of チョウ

Mandarin

Romanization

chou

1. Nonstandard spelling of chōu.
2. Nonstandard spelling of chóu.
3. Nonstandard spelling of chǒu.
4. Nonstandard spelling of chòu.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Portuguese

Noun

chou m (plural chous)

1. Rare spelling of show.

Adjective

chou (invariable)

1. Rare spelling of show.