soy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a source of oil; used for forage and soil improvement and as food
    soya bean; soybean.
  2. noun erect bushy hairy annual herb having trifoliate leaves and purple to pink flowers; extensively cultivated for food and forage and soil improvement but especially for its nutritious oil-rich seeds; native to Asia
    soya bean; Glycine max; soybean plant; soja bean; soya; soybean; soja.
  3. noun thin sauce made of fermented soy beans
    soy sauce.
  4. noun the most highly proteinaceous vegetable known; the fruit of the soybean plant is used in a variety of foods and as fodder (especially as a replacement for animal protein)
    soya bean; soya; soybean.

WordNet

Soy noun
Etymology
Chinese shoyu.
Definitions
  1. A Chinese and Japanese liquid sauce for fish, etc., made by subjecting boiled beans (esp. soja beans), or beans and meal, to long fermentation and then long digestion in salt and water.
  2. (Bot.) The soja, a kind of bean. See Soja.

Webster 1913