Soy
/sɔɪ/noun
A legume used as food and fodder, and its edible bean or products made from it.
Did you know?English soy comes through Dutch and other European trade routes from a Japanese word for soy sauce, while the bean itself was known in Chinese agriculture for millennia.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
shū
“A term for the soybean plant in early Chinese usage”
17th Century
Japanese
shōyu
“Soy sauce”
17th Century
Dutch
soja
“Soy sauce; later the soybean plant and its products”
18th Century
English
soy
“Soy sauce; later the soybean and its derived products”
Modern English
English
soy
“The soybean plant, its beans, or foods made from them”