trepang

Where does the word "trepang" come from? It comes from Malay teripang, and was adopted directly into English (1780s).

Trepang’s story begins in Malay: teripang meant “sea cucumber.” Makassan fishermen from Sulawesi sailed to northern Australia each monsoon from about the 1700s to gather sea cucumbers for the Chinese market, until South Australia shut the trade down after the 1906-07 season. It reached English by 1780s as trepang. Matthew Flinders met a Makassan trepang fleet off Arnhem Land in 1803 and recorded its commander, Pobassoo. Today, trepang means a sea cucumber, dried and eaten especially in Chinese cuisine.

1. Stage 1 · Malay · 1700s teripang "sea cucumber", Makassan fishermen from Sulawesi sailed to northern Australia each monsoon from about the 1700s to gather sea cucumbers for the Chinese market, until South Australia shut the trade down after the 1906-07 season.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1780s trepang "dried sea cucumber", Matthew Flinders met a Makassan trepang fleet off Arnhem Land in 1803 and recorded its commander, Pobassoo.