soy

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a source of oil; used for forage and soil improvement and as food
  2. noun erect bushy hairy annual herb having trifoliate leaves and purple to pink flowers; extensively cultivated for food and forage and soil improvement but especially for its nutritious oil-rich seeds; native to Asia
  3. noun thin sauce made of fermented soy beans

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

soybean, soya bean

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