pekingese
pekingese Lexical Profile
• noun
A small breed of toy dog originating in China, characterized by a flat face, long straight hair, and short bowed legs.
"The royal court of Imperial China historically kept the Pekingese as a highly revered companion dog."
A native or inhabitant of Peking (modern-day Beijing), China.
"In older literature, a Pekingese refers to a resident of the capital city before the romanization shifted to Beijing."
• adjective
Of or relating to Peking (modern-day Beijing), China, its inhabitants, or its culture.
"The museum exhibited several exquisite examples of Pekingese enamelware dating back to the Qing dynasty."
Word Nuance & Usage
While historically used to describe the people or culture of China's capital, modern usage almost exclusively refers to the toy dog breed; demographic or cultural references now typically use the terms 'Beijing' or 'Beijinger'.
• Rhymes for pekingese
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from 'Peking' (the traditional English postal romanization of Beijing) combined with the suffix '-ese', which denotes geographical origin. It entered English in the 19th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.