*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Tu

Borrowed from Chinese. Most likely from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 屠 (Tú) or 涂 (Tú).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Chinese. Most likely from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 屠 (Tú) or 涂 (Tú).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention屠cmn
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "zh:-",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1",
        "nocat": "y"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"lang_name\" : \"Chinese\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"zh\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Tu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Tu\">\nBorrowed from Chinese."
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-pinyin",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hanyu Pinyin"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "屠",
        "tr": "Tú"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 屠 (Tú)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "zh:-",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1",
        "nocat": "y"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Chinese."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "屠",
      "屠#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "涂",
      "涂#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "82ea72be9769ba806804913b65f7d8dc6e3797c1fb11eb5e89393982c14db06f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "77bc1e541014c2b0eec1d684c4be5c58f2b7d55948abedf9f7009b891e30762b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 334145
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Tu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-VHU