English Online Dictionary. What means china? What does china mean?
English
Alternative forms
- China (generally dated)
- (dialectal): chiney, cheny, cheney, chenea, chainy, chaney, chany, chaynee, chayney, cheenie, cheeny, chainé
Etymology
From clippings of attributive use of China, q.v., the country in East Asia. In reference to porcelain and porcelain objects, via clipping of chinaware and via this sense of Persian چین (čini) in Persia and India, which influenced the pronunciation (see below). In reference to medicine, via clipping of China root. In reference to flowers, via clipping of China rose. In reference to tea, via clipping of China tea. In Cockney slang, a clipping of china plate as a rhyme of mate (“friend”). In reference to drum cymbals, a clipping of China cymbal and as a genericization of a kind of Zildjian-brand cymbal.
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃaɪnə/
- (obsolete) IPA(key): /ˈtʃeɪnɪ/, /ˈtʃiːnɪ/
- Rhymes: -aɪnə
Noun
china (countable and uncountable, plural chinas)
- (uncountable) Synonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now (chiefly US) sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine or good china.
- (uncountable) Chinaware: porcelain tableware.
- 1653, Henry Cogan translating Fernão Mendes Pinto as The Voyages and Adventures of Fernand Mendez Pinto, p. 206:
- ...a Present of certain very rich Pieces of China.
- (uncountable, chiefly US, dated) Cheaper and lower-quality ceramic and ceramic tableware, distinguished from porcelain.
- (uncountable) Synonym of China root, the root of Smilax china (particularly) as a medicine.
- (uncountable, obsolete) Synonym of cheyney: worsted or woolen stuff.
- (countable) Synonym of China rose, in its various senses.
- (countable, Cockney rhyming slang, Australia, South Africa) Synonym of mate (rhyme of china-plate).
- (uncountable, dated) Tea from China, (particularly) varieties cured by smoking or opposed to Indian cultivars.
- (countable, games, chiefly US, obsolete) A glazed china marble.
- (countable, music) A kind of drum cymbal approximating a Chinese style of cymbal, but usually with Turkish influences.
Derived terms
Translations
References
- “China, n.¹ and adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1889.
- “china”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Anagrams
- hican, Chi-an, chain, Chain, Chian, Anich, Achin
Asturian
Adjective
china
- feminine singular of chinu
French
Verb
china
- third-person singular past historic of chiner
Anagrams
- nicha
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈki.na/
- Rhymes: -ina
- Hyphenation: chì‧na
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Adjective
china f sg
- feminine singular of chino
Etymology 2
Deverbal from chinare + -a.
Noun
china f (plural chine)
- slope, decline, descent
- Synonyms: pendio, declivio, discesa
Related terms
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Spanish quina, quinaquina, from Quechua.
Noun
china f (plural chine)
- cinchona (tree)
Related terms
Etymology 4
From Portuguese China, namely "ink of China".
Noun
china f (plural chine)
- Indian ink
Etymology 5
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
china
- inflection of chinare:
- third-person singular present indicative
- second-person singular imperative
Japanese
Romanization
china
- Rōmaji transcription of ちな
Kalasha
Adjective
china
- Alternative spelling of čhína
Macanese
Noun
china (plural china-china)
- a Chinese person, especially from mainland China
- (collective) the Chinese
Synonyms
- náchi
Adjective
china
- Chinese (from or relating to China)
Derived terms
- Ano-Novo-China (“Chinese New Year”)
- auto-china (“Chinese opera”)
- cám china, cachôro-china (“dog whose bark is worse than his bite”)
- china di lête (“dairyman”)
- china falâ (“as the Chinese say”)
- china-merenda (“Chinese snack-seller”)
- china pobre (“beggar”)
- china-rico (“Chinese magnate”)
- mestre-china (“Chinese healer”)
- ramendâ china-china (“just like the Chinese”)
- téra-china (“mainland China”)
References
- https://www.macaneselibrary.org/pub/english/uipatua.htm
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- Homophone: China
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Spanish china, from Quechua china (“female”).
Noun
china f (plural chinas)
- (Rio Grande do Sul) a woman, especially one of Native American descent
- (Rio Grande do Sul, derogatory) a prostitute
Etymology 2
From China.
Noun
china m or f by sense (plural chinas)
- (dated or informal) Chinaman; Chinese; someone from China
- Synonym: chinês
Quechua
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃɪ.na/
Noun
china
- female (of humans or animals)
- a woman of low social status
- servant, slavegirl
Declension
Descendants
- → Spanish: china (“female servant”)
References
- Academia Mayor de la Lengua Quechua (2005) Diccionario quechua-español-quechua/Qheswa-español-qheswa simi taqe[1], Cuzco: Regional Government of Cuzco
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃina/ [ˈt͡ʃi.na]
- Rhymes: -ina
- Syllabification: chi‧na
Etymology 1
From the infantile/nursery word chin, a children's guessing game.
Noun
china f (plural chinas)
- pebble, small stone (usually rounded)
- (Venezuela) slingshot
Derived terms
Related terms
Etymology 2
Noun
china f (plural chinas)
- female equivalent of chino (“Chinese man”)
- china (porcelain)
- (Puerto Rico) orange, sweet orange
- (colloquial, Cuba) chickenpox
- Synonym: varicela
Adjective
china
- feminine singular of chino
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Quechua china (“female”).
Noun
china f (plural chinas)
- (derogatory, South America) female servant in a hacienda
- (Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua) babysitter
- Synonym: niñera
Etymology 4
Allusion to the orange fruit's Asian origin (as in sinensis in Citrus sinensis).
Noun
china f (plural chinas)
- (Puerto Rico) orange (fruit)
References
Further reading
- “china”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10