Joss

views updated May 21 2018

Joss. An idol; the word is a pidgin corruption of the Portuguese deos, taken back into European languages as a supposed Chinese word. Although it appears in various combinations (e.g. joss-house, a temple), it is most familiar now in ‘joss-stick’, a stick of incense used in temple ceremonies—or simply for its sweet smell.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions JOHN BOWKER

joss

views updated May 29 2018

joss Chinese idol. XVIII. perh. ult.—Pg. †deos, deus :- L. deus god.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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