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chop su·ey

(sē)

1. A dish consisting of stir-fried bean sprouts, onions, and other vegetables, often cooked with small pieces of meat or shrimp, and served with rice.

2. Informal A miscellany: "His coterie of execs were up to their pin stripes in a chop suey of deals" (TV Guide).

[Cantonese zaap6 seoi3, miscellaneous bits (equivalent to Mandarin zásuì) : Cantonese zaap6, mixed (from Middle Chinese tsɦap) + Cantonese seoi3, mixed (from Middle Chinese suaj`, pieces, to break up).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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