soy
UK[sɔɪ]US[sɔɪ]
n
A type of bean, originally from East Asia, that is used to make various foods such as oil, flour, and a sauce.
n
A dark brown sauce made from fermented soybeans, used especially in Chinese and Japanese cooking.
Etymology
The word 'soy' entered English in the late 17th century from the Japanese word 'shōyu', which refers to the fermented sauce. This Japanese term was itself borrowed from the Chinese 'shi-yu', where 'shi' means 'salted beans' and 'yu' means 'oil' or 'sauce'. The journey of the word reflects the trade and cultural exchange of the product from China to Japan and then to Europe. In English, the meaning expanded from specifically denoting the sauce to also include the bean from which it is made.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword. It does not contain separable morphemes within its modern English spelling.
Examples
Tofu is made from curdled soy milk.
She added a dash of soy to the stir-fry for extra flavor.
The field was planted with soy for the coming season.