cumshaw

[ kuhm-shaw ]

/ ˈkʌm ʃɔ /

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noun

a present; gratuity; tip.

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Origin of cumshaw

1810–20; <dialectal Chinese (Xiamen) kam siā, equivalent to Chinese gân xiè grateful thanks

Words nearby cumshaw

Cummings, cummings, e. e., cummingtonite, cum new, cumquat, cumshaw, cumulate, cumulation, cumulative, cumulative distribution function, cumulative effect

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use cumshaw in a sentence

The man who really holds the key to the situation is a gentleman named Abel Cumshaw.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh
I think that's about all, unless to remind you that Mr. Albert Cumshaw will be entitled to his fair share of the spoils.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh
Mr. Cumshaw stopped to tea and made himself very much at home, and afterwards he told us the story of the gold escort.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh
"If Mr. Cumshaw would stop to tea," Moira suggested, and looked to me for approval of her proposition.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh

In the meanwhile Bradby and Cumshaw had doubled back on their tracks and were heading for the Grampians.
The Lost Valley|J. M. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for cumshaw

cumshaw

/ (ˈkʌmʃɔː) /

noun

(used, esp formerly, by beggars in Chinese ports) a present or tip

Word Origin for cumshaw

C19: from pidgin English, from Chinese (Amoy) kam siā, from Mandarin kan hsieh grateful thanks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012