The story
From Japanese 和(わ)牛(ぎゅう) (wagyū), from Middle Chinese 和 (MC hwa, “a gloss for 倭 (MC 'wa, “Japan”)”) + 牛 (MC ngjuw, “cow”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
wagyu
Today it means: Any of several Japanese breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat. Full definition →