chow chow

¹ American  

[chou chou] / ˈtʃaʊ ˌtʃaʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letters)

1. one of a Chinese breed of medium-sized dogs having a thick black, blue, red, or cream coat and a blue-black tongue.

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chow-chow ² American  

[chou-chou] / ˈtʃaʊˌtʃaʊ /

noun

1. a Chinese mixed fruit preserve.

2. a relish of chopped mixed pickles in mustard sauce.

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chow-chow British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: chow.  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

2. a Chinese preserve of ginger, orange peel, etc in syrup

3. a mixed vegetable pickle

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Etymology

Origin of chow chow¹

1785–95; said to be < dialectal Chinese; compare Guangdong dial. gáu dog

Origin of chow-chow²

Borrowed into English from Chinese Pidgin English around 1785–95

Example Sentences

Kathryn, on the other hand, is filling up her days with a part-time position at the local mall’s J.Crew outlet and taking care of eight chow chow puppies she’s named after Maroon 5 songs.

From Salon • May 17, 2025

Both are also closely related to dingoes, and slightly more distantly to other dogs of East Asian origin like the chow chow, Akita, and shiba inu.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 31, 2020

They are paired with green goddess dressing and glorious chow chow, a hot pickled vegetable relish with a preponderance of cauliflower.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2019

Expect eggplant katsudon with charred cabbage chow chow, sweetbread teriyaki, duck leg ramen, and an okonomiyaki pancake with shaved Benton’s ham, mayonnaise and smoked tobiko roe.

From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2018

“If that chow chow flicks her fluffy fur one more time, I swear it’s going to fly off.”

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein