trepang

American  

[trih-pang] / trɪˈpæŋ /

noun

1. any of various holothurians or sea cucumbers, as Holothuria edulis, used as food in China.

---

trepang British  

/ trɪˈpæŋ /

noun

1. Also called: bêche-de-mer.  any of various large sea cucumbers of tropical Oriental seas, the body walls of which are used as food by the Japanese and Chinese

---

Etymology

Origin of trepang

1775–85; < Malay təripaŋ (spelling teripang ) < an unidentified source

Example Sentences

They are traditional Indonesian boats known as praus and they brought Muslim fishermen from the flourishing trading city of Makassar in search of trepang, or sea cucumbers.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2014

They get the trepang by diving, in from 3 to 8 fathoms water; and where it is abundant, a man will bring up eight or ten at a time.

From A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 2 by Flinders, Matthew

The chief exports are trepang, tortoise-shell, pearls, mother-of-pearl, and edible birds'-nests.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2 Amiel to Atrauli by Various

In Cooktown the Europeans eat it largely, while in China, as trepang, it is a much-prized and high-priced delicacy.

From The Last Voyage to India and Australia, in the 'Sunbeam' by Pritchett, R. T. (Robert Taylor)

The best class of trepang is packed in tin cases to keep it perfectly dry, as moisture ruins it.

From Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania by Gilson, Jewett Castello