sycee

English

Etymology

From Cantonese 細絲 / 细丝 (sai3 si1, “fine silk”), variously explained as owing to the bullion's ability to be worked into fine strands or from the resemblance of its luster.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /sʌɪˈsiː/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈsaɪsiː/, /saɪˈsiː/

Noun

sycee (countable and uncountable, plural sycees)

  1. (historical) Any of various gold or silver ingots used as currency in imperial China.
    Synonym: yuanbao
  2. (uncountable) Imitation ingots made of paper, burnt as an offering in ancestral veneration on Tomb Sweeping Day or during the Ghost Festival.

References

  • American Heritage Dictionary, 5th ed. "sycee". Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2011.
  • Collins American English Dictionary. "sycee". Collins, 2016.
  • Merriam-Webster Online. "sycee". 2015.
  • Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "sycee, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1919.
  • Random House Dictionary. "sycee". 2016.
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