samshu

English

Alternative forms

• samshew, samshoe, samshoo, samsu

Etymology

An irregular romanization of the Cantonese pronunciation saam¹ siu¹ of 三燒 / 三烧 (sānshāo, “thrice-burnt”), a former name of 三蒸酒 (sānzhēngjiǔ, “thrice-distilled alcohol”).

Noun

samshu (uncountable)

1. A triple-distilled variety of rice-based baijiu.
   • 2003, Li Shizhen et al., Chinese Medicinal Herbs: A Modern Edition of a Classic Sixteenth-Century Manual:

     It would seem to be a purer ethyl spirit than samshu and other forms, as it does not have the delirient action possessed by many of these, which seem to contain large percentages of methyl spirit.

2. (inexact, obsolete or historical) Synonym of baijiu.

Anagrams

• Shamus, shamus