hoisin

Where does the word "hoisin" come from? It comes from Cantonese hoi sin, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Hoisin’s story begins in Cantonese: hoi sin meant “seafood.” Literally seafood, an old name that persisted even though the sauce contains none. It reached English by 1900s as hoisin. Cantonese 'seafood', though the sauce contains no seafood. Today, hoisin means a thick, sweet and savory Chinese sauce made from soybeans and spices.

1. Stage 1 · Cantonese · medieval hoi sin "seafood", literally seafood, an old name that persisted even though the sauce contains none.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s hoisin "a sweet and savory Chinese sauce", Cantonese 'seafood', though the sauce contains no seafood.