Japanese

Alternative forms

• 女房言葉

Noun

女房詞 ‎(hiragana にょうぼうことば, romaji nyōbō kotoba, historical hiragana にようばうことば)

1. a cant or secret language of ladies-in-waiting in the imperial court, arising during the Muromachi period and later spreading to the general population
2. a word originally belonging to this cant

   「おしゃもじ」は元元 (もともと)「杓子 (しゃくし)」の女房詞 (にょうぼうことば)でした。

   “Oshamoji” wa motomoto “shakushi” no nyōbō kotoba deshita.

   "Oshamoji" was originally the woman's word or nyōbō kotoba for "shakushi" (rice scoop).

References

1. 1 2 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1 2 3 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
3. ↑ 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, ISBN 4-09-501211-0
4. ↑ 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0