cumshaw

[ kuhm-shaw ]

noun
  1. a present; gratuity; tip.

Origin of cumshaw

1
1810–20; <dialectal Chinese (Xiamen) kam siā, equivalent to Chinese gân xiè grateful thanks

Words Nearby cumshaw

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cumshaw in a sentence

  • The man who really holds the key to the situation is a gentleman named Abel cumshaw.

    The Lost Valley | J. M. Walsh
  • I think that's about all, unless to remind you that Mr. Albert cumshaw will be entitled to his fair share of the spoils.

    The Lost Valley | J. M. Walsh
  • Mr. cumshaw stopped to tea and made himself very much at home, and afterwards he told us the story of the gold escort.

    The Lost Valley | J. M. Walsh
  • "If Mr. cumshaw would stop to tea," Moira suggested, and looked to me for approval of her proposition.

    The Lost Valley | J. M. Walsh
  • In the meanwhile Bradby and cumshaw had doubled back on their tracks and were heading for the Grampians.

    The Lost Valley | J. M. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for cumshaw

cumshaw

/ (ˈkʌmʃɔː) /


noun
  1. (used, esp formerly, by beggars in Chinese ports) a present or tip

Origin of cumshaw

1
C19: from pidgin English, from Chinese (Amoy) kam siā, from Mandarin kan hsieh grateful thanks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012