Bao
/baʊ/noun
A soft steamed bun, typically filled with meat, vegetables, or sweet ingredients, associated with Chinese cuisine.
Did you know?The English culinary term is a shortened form of Chinese bāozi, while bāo 包 itself means “to wrap” or “to enclose,” making the bun’s name a literal description of its sealed filling.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
包
“To wrap, enclose, or bundle”
Middle Chinese, c. 6th–10th century
Middle Chinese
pæu
“To wrap or contain”
Mandarin Chinese
Chinese
bāo 包
“To wrap, pack, or enclose”
Mandarin Chinese, medieval period
Chinese
bāozi 包子
“A filled, wrapped bun”
20th–21st Century
English
bao
“A steamed filled bun, shortened from Chinese bāozi”
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