soy

[ soi ]

noun

1. the soybean plant or its seeds:

   Soy is a major crop in Brazil.

2. a product or products made from soybeans:

   I'm vegetarian, so my main source of protein is soy.

3. soy sauce:

   Add about 2 tablespoons soy to the noodles.

4. soymilk:

   We use soy in our coffee instead of milk.

adjective

1. made or derived from soybeans or soymilk:

   soy flour.

Word History and Origins

Origin of soy¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; perhaps via Dutch or New Latin soya, soja, from Japanese shōyu, earlier siau-yu, from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese jìngyóu “soybean oil”

Example Sentences

In their recent paper, the Ma lab identified transcription initiation sites for about 40,000 genes in soy.

From Science Daily

In this, globally operating trading companies agreed to no longer purchase soy grown in freshly deforested areas.

From Science Daily

It starts with a pile of soy pulp, which is wrapped in banana leaves and sprinkled with the spores of a fungus called Neurospora intermedia.

From Salon

Did you know that the subtleties within soy sauce can also be attributed to terroir?

From Salon

When I was initially recipe testing to create a cheese steak, I looked in my pantry and pulled out my staples: soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, ginger, garlic, mozzarella, unsmoked provolone, Italian cherry peppers, etc.

From Salon