chowchow
noun, verb, adjective
Forms chowchows chowchowing chowchowed chow-chow chow chow
- noun A Chinese preserve.
- noun An American relish, containing pickled green tomatoes, cabbage, and often other vegetables.
- noun A fruit ketchup.
- noun (slang, obsolete, Anglo-Chinese) Gossip.
- noun (informal, figurative) A miscellaneous assortment of anything.
- verb (slang, obsolete, Anglo-Chinese, intransitive) To gossip.
- adjective (slang, obsolete, Anglo-Chinese) Consisting of several kinds mingled together; mixed.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Chinese Pidgin English chow-chow (“food”). Compare Macanese chau-cháu.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Consisting of several kinds mingled together; mixed; as, chowchow sweetmeats (preserved fruits put together).
- noun A kind of mixed pickles.
Etymology [Chin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “chowchow”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details