Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Chinese ·1620s
Sampan
from 三板 (sānbǎn)
- Meaning
- A small flat-bottomed boat used in East and Southeast Asia.
- Source word
- 三板 (sānbǎn)
- Route into English
- Cantonese *sāam báan* / Mandarin *sānbǎn* ("three planks") → English via 16th-century Portuguese traders. The name literally describes the minimal construction of the boat.
- Arrived
- 1620s
From Chinese
Trade English from the South China Sea ports (especially Hokkien-speaking Xiamen and Canton) seeded the early borrowings; 20th-century diplomacy and military contact added the rest.
English borrows.
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