Shu

See also: shu

English

The Egyptian god Shu

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Egyptian šw (“Shu”, literally “Emptiness”), a derivative of the verb šwj (“to be empty, devoid of”).

Proper noun

Shu

1. (Egyptian mythology) A god personifying the air and atmosphere.

Etymology 2

From atonal romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of various Chinese surnames, including those variously romanized as Xu or Hsu whose separate sound /ɕ/ is conflated with /ʃ/ by English speakers.

Proper noun

Shu (plural Shus)

1. A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Shu is the 12644^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2447 individuals. Shu is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (90.64%) individuals.

Etymology 3

From romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 蜀 (Shǔ).

Proper noun

Shu

1. (historical) A partially sinicized civilization in ancient Sichuan, China.
   • 2022 June 14, Kathleen Magramo, “Sacrificial altar among 13,000 relics unearthed at Sanxingdui archaeological site in China”, in CNN‎^[1], archived from the original on June 14, 2022, Arts‎^[2]:

     Historians know relatively little about the Sanxingdui culture, which left behind no written records or human remains, though many believe it to be part of the ancient kingdom of Shu. It's hoped the latest finds will shed light on the kingdom, which ruled in the western Sichuan basin along the upper stream of the Yangtze River until it was conquered in 316 BC.

2. (historical) A Chinese kingdom in Sichuan during the Three Kingdoms period.
3. (historical) A Chinese kingdom in Sichuan during the Ten Kingdoms period.
4. (historical) A later Chinese kingdom in Sichuan during the Ten Kingdoms period.

Alternative forms

• Shuh

Synonyms

• (3 Kingdoms era): Ji Han, Lesser Han, Shu Han, Han
• (1st 10 Kingdoms era): Former Shu, Qianshu, Great Shu, Dashu, Wang Shu, Han
• (2nd 10 Kingdoms era): Later Shu, Houshu, Meng Shu

Etymology 4

From romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 沭 (Shù).

Proper noun

Shu

1. A river in Shandong, China.

Etymology 5

From Kazakh Шү (Şü).

Proper noun

Shu

1. Synonym of Chu, a river in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Anagrams

• uhs, USH, HUS, Suh, suh, ush, HUs, Hsü, Hsu, UHS, Hus