1785-95; said to be < dialectal Chinese; compare Guangdong dial. gáu dog
chow-chow
[chou-chou] /ˈtʃaʊˌtʃaʊ/
noun
1.
a Chinese mixed fruit preserve.
2.
a relish of chopped mixed pickles in mustard sauce.
Origin
1785-95; < Chinese Pidgin English
Examples from the web for chow-chow
Process with brief pulses to reach the desired texture, somewhere between a chow-chow relish and a textured puree.
British Dictionary definitions for chow-chow
chow-chow
noun
1.
a thick-coated breed of the spitz type of dog with a curled tail and a characteristic blue-black tongue; it came originally from China Often shortened to chow
2.
a Chinese preserve of ginger, orange peel, etc in syrup
3.
a mixed vegetable pickle
Word Origin
C19: from pidgin English, probably based on Mandarin Chinese cha miscellaneous