Etymology Map
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Soy

4 stages from Chinese to English.

Today it means a bean used to make food products like soy sauce and tofu, or the sauce itself
1
Stage 1 of 4
shi
Chinese · ancient
"fermented soybean paste"
a fermented soybean paste
2
Stage 2 of 4
shōyu
Japanese · medieval
"soy sauce"
the Japanese term for the fermented sauce
3
Stage 3 of 4
soja
Dutch · 1600s-1700s
"soy sauce"
brought to Europe by Dutch traders in Japan
4
Stage 4 of 4
soy
English · 1700s
"the soybean or its sauce"
adapted from the Dutch form
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