Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of pastry: A small, round, light pastry typically filled with cream, custard, or a similar sweet filling.
   • A type of vegetable: Any of various types of cabbage, especially those with compact heads.
   • A historical Chinese dynasty: The imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC, known for its long rule and the rise of Confucianism and Taoism.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Pastry):
  • For dessert, she served a delicious cream-filled chou.
  • The bakery specializes in eclairs and chocolate choux.
• Noun (Vegetable):
  • The recipe calls for one head of chou, finely shredded.
  • We grow several varieties of chou in our garden.
• Noun (Dynasty):
  • The Chou dynasty was a formative period in Chinese philosophy.
  • Artifacts from the Chou era are displayed in the museum.

Advanced Usage

• "Chou pastry": Often used to specify the food item, as "chou" alone can be ambiguous.
  • The chou pastry was light and airy.
• In botanical names: Used in the common names for specific cabbage varieties.
  • Brassica oleracea var. capitata is often called chou cabus.

Variants and Related Words

• Choux pastry (n): The light, egg-rich dough used to make cream puffs and éclairs.
  • Making choux pastry requires precise technique.
• Chou-fleur (n): The French term for cauliflower, literally "flower cabbage".
• Chou dynasty (n): Alternative spelling for the Zhou dynasty.

Synonyms

• Cream puff: For the pastry meaning.
• Cabbage: For the vegetable meaning.
• Zhou dynasty: For the historical period.

Related Phrases

• Chou à la crème: A French phrase meaning a cream puff.
  • The patisserie's chou à la crème is famous.
• Faire chou blanc: A French idiom meaning "to fail" or "to draw a blank", literally "to make a white cabbage".
  • Despite his efforts, he made chou blanc in the competition.

Noun

1. puff filled with cream or custard
2. any of various types of cabbage
3. the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism