trepang

American  

[trih-pang] / trɪˈpæŋ /

noun

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

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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

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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

The town lies in a fertile plain and deals in rice, trepang and pina.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

When the Bugis paid their annual visit to the coast several prahus remained to fish for trepang under the protection of the settlement.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 1 by MacGillivray, John

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

The trepang is a sort of sea-slug, which is dried and used by the Chinese to make soup.

From Mark Seaworth by Kingston, William Henry Giles