joss

¹ American  

[jos] / dʒɒs /

noun

1. a Chinese house idol or cult image.

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joss ² American  

[jos] / dʒɒs /

noun

British, Australian Informal.

1. a foreman or boss.

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joss British  

/ dʒɒs /

noun

1. a Chinese deity worshipped in the form of an idol

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Etymology

Origin of joss¹

1705–15; < Chinese Pidgin English < Portuguese deos < Latin deus god

Origin of joss²

First recorded in 1855–60; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Same for the fruit to set at my grandpa and grandma’s altar, as well as the joss paper to burn for their good fortune.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

Altogether, the Chens have been making joss paper for around 100 years.

From Reuters • Jan. 26, 2022

On a beach in southern Taiwan, thousands gathered as volunteers hoisted a 45-foot boat, lavishly painted in gold and red, on top of a mountain of joss paper.

From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2021

On some of the short plinths, in front of the headstone, people had placed lighted joss sticks that had long since burned down; only their stems remained, like the surviving bristles of an ancient toothbrush.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2017

There was a topmost scent of joss sticks and incense, like the fumes of some exotic smokehouse, but beneath the smoke lay a deeper and much more powerful stench.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien