Yu Choy
/ˈjuː tʃɔɪ/noun
A leafy Chinese vegetable with tender stems and small yellow flowers, commonly used in stir-fries.
Did you know?The name refers to the plant’s traditional association with oil, because related varieties of the same species were cultivated for edible seed oil as well as leafy greens.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Sinitic
油
“Oil; an oily substance”
Classical Chinese
Sinitic
菜
“Vegetable; edible greens”
Modern Cantonese
Cantonese
jau4 coi3
“Oil vegetable; the Cantonese name for flowering Chinese greens”
20th Century
English
yu choy
“A Cantonese culinary loanword for the vegetable”
Modern English
English
yu choy
“Leafy Chinese greens with tender stems and yellow flowers”
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