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English word origin

Etymology of miso

Borrowed from Japanese 味噌(みそ) (miso).

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 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A thick paste made by fermentation of soybeans with the mold Aspergillus oryzae, used in making soups and sauces.

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

Borrowed from Japanese 味噌(みそ) (miso).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ja:味噌",
        "id": "paste"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"transliteration\" : \"miso\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Japanese\", \"term\" : \"味噌\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ja\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"miso\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"paste\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"miso\" id=\"English:_paste\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "味噌",
        "2": "みそ"
      },
      "expansion": "味噌(みそ) (miso)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ja:味噌",
        "id": "paste"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "味噌(みそ)",
      "味噌#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A thick paste made by fermentation of soybeans with the mold Aspergillus oryzae, used in making soups and sauces."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "cc64e8a3b0a189ee22fd5f1300614459a7134a3b95f610cb151d36e5108257df",
      "rawRecordSha256": "31f92fddbf01976a5013403ff8ae64f6463f8d54dd5c03bb3878e023323815ab",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 368194
    }
  ],
  "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 miso →

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-bWlzbw