XO sauce

noun

A spicy sauce from Hong Kong, made from roughly chopped dried seafood, chili peppers, onions, and garlic.

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Meanings

nounXO sauce (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA spicy sauce from Hong Kong, made from roughly chopped dried seafood, chili peppers, onions, and garlic.

Origin

From the name of fine XO (extra-old) cognac, which (though not an ingredient of the sauce) denotes high quality, prestige, and luxury in Hong Kong.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese XO醬 /XO酱
  • XO醬 /XO酱 (ik¹ si⁴ ou¹ zoeng³)sauce
Chinese Mandarin XO醬 /XO酱
  • XO醬 /XO酱 (àikèsī'ōujiàng)sauce
Estonian XO-kaste
  • XO-kastesauce
Finnish XO-kastike
  • XO-kastikesauce
French sauce XO
  • sauce XOsauce
Japanese ＸＯ醤
  • ＸＯ醤 (ekkusuō jan)sauce
Korean XO장
  • XO장 (XOjang)sauce
Malay sos XO
  • sos XOsauce
Spanish salsa XO
  • salsa XOsauce
Cite this entry
APA

XO sauce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/XO%20sauce

MLA

“XO sauce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/XO%20sauce. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “XO sauce,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/XO%20sauce.

Source: XO sauce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.