Siamese

See also: siamese

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English Siam

Proto-Indo-European *-iskos

Proto-Germanic *-iskaz

Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor.

Late Latin -iscus

▲

Vulgar Latin -iscus

Latin -ēnsis

Old French -eisbor.

Middle English -eys

English -ese

English Siamese

From Siam + -ese.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /saɪ.əˈmiːz/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

Siamese (comparative more Siamese, superlative most Siamese)

1. Of or relating to Siam; Thai.
   • 1943 July and August, T. Lovatt Williams, “Some Reminiscences of the Footplate—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 235:

     I remember one such occasion when a Siamese pupil had fired the train from Lime Street, and so complimentary were the Chief's remarks on the condition of the fire that we found our young Siamese friend difficult to live with for about a week afterwards!

   (Malaysia) Of or related to Malaysian Siamese, a community of Thai people who live in Malaysia.

2. (not comparable) Of a connection of tubes or hoses: shaped like the letter Y.

Usage notes

The use of "Siamese" in Malaysia is used to differentiate the community from Thai citizens or modern immigrants from Thailand.

Derived terms

• Siamese algae-eater (Crossocheilus oblongus)
• Siamese bala shark (Balantiocheilos ambusticauda)
• Siamese barleria (Barleria siamensis)
• Siamese blind snake (Argyrophis siamensis)
• Siamese buffalo
• Siamese carp (Catlocarpio siamensis)
• Siamese cascade frog (Wijayarana melasma)
• Siamese cat
• Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
• Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens)
• Siamese fireback (Lophura diardi)
• Siamese giant carp (Catlocarpio siamensis)
• Siamese ginger (Alpinia galanga)
• Siamese gourami (Trichopodus pectoralis)
• Siamese green-eyed gecko (Gekko siamensis)
• Siamese hare (Lepus peguensis)
• Siamese jackal (Canis aureus cruesemanni)
• Siamese joint
• Siamese leaf-toed gecko (Dixonius siamensis)
• Siamese mud carp (Henicorhynchus siamensis)
• Siamese palm viper (Craspedocephalus puniceus)
• Siamese partridge (Arborophila cambodiana)
• Siamese pied myna (Gracupica floweri)
• Siamese rhinoceros beetle (Xylotrupes socrates)
• Siamese rock gecko (Cnemaspis siamensis)
• Siamese rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis)
• Siamese Russell's viper (Daboia siamensis)
• Siamese sal (Shorea obtusa)
• Siamese spitting cobra (Naja siamensis)
• Siamese supple skink (Lygosoma siamense)
• Siamese temple turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis)
• Siamese tigerfish, Siamese tiger perch (Datnioides pulcher)
• Siamese torrent frog (Wijayarana melasma)
• Siamese twin
• Siamese writhing skink (Lygosoma isodactylum)
• Siamese yellowleaf (Xanthophyllum flavescens)

Translations

Thai

• Catalan: siamès
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暹羅 / 暹罗 (zh) (xiānluó)

• Danish: siamesisk, thailandsk
• Finnish: siamilainen (fi)
• French: siamois (fr) m
• German: siamesisch (de)
• Hungarian: sziámi (hu)
• Italian: siamese m or f
• Khmer: សៀម (km) (siem)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: siyamî (ku) m or f

• Latin: siamensis
• Manx: Seeamagh
• Persian: سیامی (fa) (siâmi)
• Polish: syjamski (pl)
• Portuguese: siamês (pt)
• Russian: сиа́мский (ru) (siámskij)
• Spanish: siamés (es)
• Swedish: siamesisk (sv)
• Tagalog: Siyames
• Welsh: Siamaidd

Proper noun

Siamese

1. The Thai language.

Translations

Thai language

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暹羅語 / 暹罗语 (zh) (xiānluóyǔ)

• Danish: thailandsk, siamesisk
• Finnish: siam (fi), siamin kieli
• German: Siamesisch n
• Italian: siamese m
• Khmer: សៀម (km) (siem)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: siyamî (ku) f

• Swedish: siamesiska (sv) c
• Vietnamese: Xiêm
• Welsh: Siameg f

Noun

Siamese (plural Siameses or Siamese)

1. (plural "Siameses") A Siamese cat.
   • 1951, Winifred Martin, Calling All Kittens, Blackie & Son Limited:

     The third kitten said her name was Juno, and that she was a Siamese.

2. (historical, plural "Siamese" or "Siameses") An inhabitant of Siam.

   (Malaysia, specifically) a member of the Malaysian Siamese community, an ethnic group descended from Thais.

3. (plural "Siameses") A connection of tubes or hoses shaped like a letter Y.

Usage notes

As with other terms for people formed with -ese, the countable singular noun in reference to a person (as in "I am a Siamese", "writing about Siamese cuisine as a Siamese") is now uncommon and often taken as grammatically incorrect. In its place, the adjective is used, by itself (as in "I am Siamese") or before a noun like person, man, or woman ("writing about Siamese cuisine as a Siamese person"). See also -ish, which is similarly only primarily used as an adjective or as a plural noun.

Translations

Siamese cat

• Dutch: siamees (nl)
• Finnish: siamilainen (fi), siaminkissa
• German: Siamkatze f
• Italian: siamese m or f
• Japanese: シャム (ja) (Shamu)
• Khmer: សៀម (km) (siem)
• Korean: 샴 (syam)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: siyamî (ku) f

• Swedish: siames (sv) c, siameskatt c

Siam inhabitant

• Danish: siameser c, thailænder c
• Esperanto: siamano (man or woman), siamanino (woman)
• Finnish: siamilainen (fi)
• French: Siamois (fr) m, Siamoise f
• German: Siamese m, Siamesin f
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: siyamî (ku) m or f

• Welsh: Siamiad m or f by sense

Anagrams

• Amieses

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

Siamese

1. inflection of Siamees:
   1. masculine/feminine singular attributive
   2. definite neuter singular attributive
   3. plural attributive

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [zi̯aˈmezə]
• Hyphenation: Si‧a‧me‧se

Noun

Siamese m (weak, genitive Siamesen, plural Siamesen, feminine Siamesin)

1. Siamese (An inhabitant of Siam.)

Declension

Declension of Siamese [masculine, weak]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Siamese	die	Siamesen
genitive	eines	des	Siamesen	der	Siamesen
dative	einem	dem	Siamesen	den	Siamesen
accusative	einen	den	Siamesen	die	Siamesen

Further reading

• “Siamese” in Duden online
• “Siamese”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)