Chouse

Part of Speech

Verb (archaic), Noun (rare)

Pronunciation

/tʃaʊs/

Definitions

• (Verb, archaic): To trick, cheat, or swindle someone out of something.
• (Noun, rare): A trickster or fraudster; an act of cheating or deception.

Usage Examples

• He was choused out of his inheritance by a deceitful lawyer.
• They tried to chouse the merchant, but he was too wise for their tricks.
• The old tales speak of a cunning chouse who deceived the villagers.

Etymology

Derived from the Turkish word çavuş (pronounced /tʃaˈvuʃ/), meaning a messenger or envoy, it entered English in the 17th century, allegedly due to an Ottoman official cheating people out of money. Over time, the word became synonymous with deception and trickery.

Synonyms

• Swindle
• Defraud
• Cheat
• Deceive
• Con

Antonyms

• Honor
• Uprightness
• Truthfulness
• Fairness

Translations

Regional Pronunciation Variations

In some dialects of British English, "chouse" may be pronounced with a slightly softer "ch" sound, making it resemble "shouse." In American English, it retains a harder "ch" sound similar to "chow."

Historical Usage

The word "chouse" was commonly used in the 17th and 18th centuries to describe acts of fraud or deception, particularly in legal and mercantile settings. It has since fallen out of common usage but occasionally appears in historical texts.

Cultural Nuances

While the word "chouse" is largely obsolete today, it reflects a period in English history when interactions with the Ottoman Empire influenced language. It is an example of how foreign terms related to political or military roles can evolve into colloquial expressions with different meanings.

More Information

The decline in the usage of "chouse" is attributed to the evolution of modern synonyms like "scam" and "swindle." However, it remains an interesting linguistic artifact, providing insight into the borrowing of words from other languages and their transformation over time.