pho

noun

ˈfə

ˈfō

: a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles

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Pho, which first appeared in print in English in 1935, was borrowed from a Vietnamese word which was spelled phở. English speakers replaced the vowel with "o" but preserved the pronunciation as "fuh," rather than "foh." Another Vietnamese food word that was borrowed into English is nuoc mam, which refers to a type of fish sauce that is fermented in brine. In that case as well, the original Vietnamese word had accent marks that were lost on the journey into English. Nuoc mam was recorded in English just a few years before pho arrived.

Examples of pho in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One of the most impressive dishes was her elevated take on pho, which had an intense broth with oxtail and brisket, fragrant with Thai and lemon basil, and served wide, silky handmade rice noodles. —

Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024 Pho House: Vietnamese classics such as bún bò cay, a spicy beef soup native to Bạc Liêu in southern Vietnam, shine alongside Chinese counterparts in this Carmichael Oaks shopping center pho spot. —

Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 31 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for pho

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pho.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.