Chinamen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person from China, often used in a historical context regarding laborers or emigrants in various regions
2. A term historically applied to male individuals of Chinese descent, particularly in the context of certain labor movements
3. Referring to men originating from China, frequently linked to the diaspora during the 19th and early 20th centuries

Etymology: "Chinaman" is a compound of "china," the English word for porcelain, and "man." The plural "chinamen" is simply the regular plural of that noun, so the grammar adds nothing new. The term was used for Chinese migrants during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and it is now considered an offensive slur. A related English sense of "Chinese" meaning unfamiliar or unexpected, as in "Chinese puzzle," shows how the adjective once carried connotations of strangeness. In cricket, a left-arm wrist-spin delivery became known as a "chinaman," named in reference to Ellis Achong, a West Indian player of Chinese descent.