chow-chow

See also: chowchow, chow chow, and Chow Chow

English

Noun

chow-chow (countable and uncountable, plural chow-chows)

1. Alternative form of chowchow

Chinese Pidgin English

Etymology

Possibly a reduplication of either Cantonese 炒 (caau²) or Taishanese 炒 (cau²) or etc. Compare Macanese chau-cháu. See also English chow fun, chow mein, etc.

Noun

chow-chow

1. food

Verb

chow-chow

1. to eat

Related terms

• chow water
• chow-box
• chow-dog

 

References

• Gow, W. S. P. (1924) Gow’s Guide to Shanghai, 1924: A Complete, Concise and Accurate Handbook of the City and District, Especially Compiled for the Use of Tourists and Commercial Visitors to the Far East, Shanghai, page 104: “Chow-chow: food, to eat. “My no have catchee chow-chow.””

French

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

chow-chow m (plural chow-chows)

1. Chow Chow (“dog”)
2. Alternative form of chow chow (“ketchup”)

Further reading

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

Polish

chow-chow

Alternative forms

• czau-czau

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Chow Chow.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʂawˈt͡ʂaw/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -awt͡ʂaw
• Syllabification: chow-‧chow

Noun

chow-chow m animal (indeclinable)

1. Chow Chow

Further reading

• chow-chow in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• chow-chow in Polish dictionaries at PWN