Word
soy
US/ˈsɔɪ/
UK/sˈɔɪ/
Definitions
01the bean or its protein
n. a type of bean used to make milk, tofu, and other food products.
n. the soybean (Glycine max) or the protein and oil derived from it, frequently used as a meat or dairy alternative.
“Many people choose soy milk as an alternative to cow's milk.”
“The food processing industry relies heavily on soy protein as a functional ingredient in a wide variety of vegetarian products.”
02the sauce
n. a salty, dark brown liquid made from fermented beans, used in cooking.
n. a salty liquid condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and water.
“He added a little soy to the stir-fry to give it more flavour.”
“Traditional soy is aged for several months to develop a complex umami profile that cannot be replicated by chemically produced alternatives.”
Synonyms
03weak or unmasculine
adj. a rude way to describe a man who is seen as weak or not 'manly' enough.
adj. a derogatory descriptor used in online subcultures to characterise a man as weak, overly sensitive, or lacking traditional masculine traits.
“He was tired of being called a soy boy just because he liked art.”
“The forum was filled with users hurling soy insults at anyone who expressed a moderate opinion on the matter.”
Slang · Informal
Usage
Often used as a modifier in compound terms like 'soy boy'.
Teaching tip
This sense is highly informal and often offensive; it is primarily found in aggressive online political or social debates.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Crop yields, especially for corn, rice and soya beans as well as vegetables and fruit, have been badly hit, and milk production has fallen by 20%.” “A large coffee in central London, served with an alternative milk like soy or almond, is now closer to the £5 mark.” Etymology
Etymology tree Chinese 醬油 /酱油 (jiàngyóu)obor. Japanese 醤油 Japanese そやbor. Dutch sojabor. English soy 1670s; borrowed from Dutch soja, from the Satsuma pronunciation of Japanese 醤油 (soi), variant of the standard Japanese 醤油 (shōyu). Doublet of shoyu, orthographic borrowing from Middle Chinese 醬油 (tsjàng-yuw), from 醬 (tsjangᴴ, “bean paste”) + 油 (“oil”).
Borrowed from French soie (“silk”), soye, from Middle French soye, from Old French soie, earlier seie, from Latin sēta, saeta, from Proto-Italic saitā, from Proto-Indo-European séh₂ito-, sh₂éyto-, from sh₂ey-, *seh₂i- (“to bind”). Doublet of seta.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/soy