sycee

S1Y4C3E1E1
UK/sʌɪˈsiː/US/ˈsaɪsiː/US/saɪˈsiː/

noun

Any of various gold or silver ingots used as currency in imperial China.

Similar
yuanbao
OriginCantonese 細絲 /细丝 →
Scrabble 10
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounsycee (countable and uncountable, plural sycees)

plural sycees

  1. countablehistoricaluncountableAny of various gold or silver ingots used as currency in imperial China.

    Synonyms: yuanbao

  2. uncountableImitation ingots made of paper, burnt as an offering in ancestral veneration on Tomb Sweeping Day or during the Ghost Festival.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAny of various gold or silver ingots used as currency in imperial China.

Similar
yuanbao
Also see
yuanbao

Origin

  1. Cantonese細絲 /细丝“fine silk”
  2. Englishsycee

From Cantonese 細絲 /细丝 (sai³ si¹, “fine silk”), variously explained as owing to the bullion's ability to be worked into fine strands or from the resemblance of its luster.

More words from Cantonese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sycee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sycee

MLA

“sycee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sycee. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sycee,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sycee.

Source: sycee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.