Burmese

How to spell burmese

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce burmese

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does burmese mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to Burma (Myanmar), its people, language, or culture.
2. nounThe official language of Burma (Myanmar).
3. nounA short-haired domestic cat breed originally from Southeast Asia, known for its glossy coat and affectionate nature.

Burmese in a sentence

• adjective

  The restaurant serves traditional burmese tea-leaf salad.

• noun

  He spent a year learning burmese before moving to Yangon.

• noun

  The breeder specialises in pedigree burmese with deep brown coats.

• adjective

  She studied burmese history at university for three years.

• noun

  The guidebook printed key phrases in both English and burmese.

• noun

  Their burmese followed them from room to room like a small shadow.

Where does burmese come from?

Language of origin: Other

This word joins the place name Burma to the suffix '-ese', which English uses to form adjectives and nouns of nationality, language, or origin. The suffix '-ese' descends from the Latin '-ensis', meaning 'belonging to' or 'originating in a place', and it reached English through Old French and Italian forms such as '-eis' and '-ese', the same ending seen in 'Chinese', 'Portuguese', and 'Japanese'. The base, Burma, is an English rendering of the country's own names, linked to the Burmese words 'Bama' and 'Myanma' for the land and its majority people. English began using 'Burmese' in the colonial era of the early nineteenth century, when Britain's expansion into the region brought the country, its language, and later its distinctive cat breed into common reference. The single trap in the spelling is simply remembering the '-ese' ending rather than a phonetic '-eze', since the sound is a clear voiced 'z'.

How the word is built

• Burm- (from Burma, the country now also called Myanmar)
• -ese (suffix marking nationality, language, or origin)