Siamese

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌsaɪəˈmiːz/ UK /ˌsaɪəˈmiːz/ See IPA manual

Freq #20577

Meanings

1

adj
historical: relating to Siam, the former name of Thailand, or to its people, culture, or language

The nineteenth-century account compared Siamese and neighboring communities.
2

noun
a Siamese cat, a slender short-haired breed with blue eyes and darker coloring on the face, ears, feet, and tail

The Siamese followed its owner from room to room and meowed loudly.
3

adj
joined, paired, or arranged with two branches feeding one connection, as in a Siamese hose connection

Firefighters attached two hoses to the building's Siamese connection.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · historical: relating to... Thaiof Siam

2 noun · a siamese cat, a slender... Siamese cat

3 adj · joined, paired, or arranged... paired joined

Word family

Derived forms Siamese catSiamese fighting fishSiamese connection

Related forms SiamThailandThaiconjoined twin

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

siamese connection
a multiple-hose inlet allowing water to be pumped into a building's sprinkler system

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Siam, the former English name of Thailand, + -ese. The cat and fighting-fish names reflect breeds associated with Siam. The sense "joined or paired" arose from the older expression Siamese twins, after Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins born in Siam in 1811.

Topics

Describing Qualities Register & Style

External links

# Siamese

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌsaɪəˈmiːz/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌsaɪəˈmiːz/
**Frequency rank:** 20577

## Meanings
1. historical: relating to Siam, the former name of Thailand, or to its people, culture, or language
2. a Siamese cat, a slender short-haired breed with blue eyes and darker coloring on the face, ears, feet, and tail
3. joined, paired, or arranged with two branches feeding one connection, as in a Siamese hose connection

## Examples
- The nineteenth-century account compared Siamese and neighboring communities.
- The Siamese followed its owner from room to room and meowed loudly.
- Firefighters attached two hoses to the building's Siamese connection.

## Synonyms
- Thai
- of Siam
- Siamese cat
- paired
- joined

## Derived Forms
- Siamese cat
- Siamese fighting fish
- Siamese connection

## Related Forms
- Siam
- Thailand
- Thai
- conjoined twin

## Etymology
From Siam, the former English name of Thailand, + -ese. The cat and fighting-fish names reflect breeds associated with Siam. The sense "joined or paired" arose from the older expression Siamese twins, after Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins born in Siam in 1811.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Register & Style

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