Word.ws English Dictionary

Cochin China

Cochin China proper noun: a former region comprising southern Vietnam; used as an exonym with its meaning depending on the historical context.

Proper noun

Cochin China

  1. (historical) A former region comprising southern Vietnam; used as an exonym with its meaning depending on the historical context
    • In their arrangements for the future government of this extensive country, it was determined that Yinyac should possess the two divisions of Chang and Don-nai; Long-niang, that of Huè, bordering on Tonquin; and the youngest brother was to be high-priest of all Cochin China.1824, John White, A Voyage to Cochin China, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, page 88
    • Cochin-China is a French Colony. The province of Giadinh, of which Saigon is the chief port, was conquered by the Franco-Spanish fleet on the 17th February, 1859, but Lower Cochin-China (comprising the provinces of Giadinh, Bienhoa, and Mytho, and the Islands of Pulo Condor) was not definitely...1905, “The Directory and Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, ..., &c. for the Year 1905”, in Hongkong Daily Press, page 544
  2. (historical) Đại Việt (16th century)
  3. (historical) Đàng Trong (17th and 18th centuries)
  4. (historical) Việt Nam (19th century)
  5. (historical) Nam Kỳ (1862–1949)

Noun

Cochin China (plural Cochin Chinas)

  1. Synonym of Cochin (“type of domestic hen”).
    Synonyms:
    Cochin

Cochin China meaning in Vietnamese

Cochin China in Vietnamese

historical region in Southeast Asia
Nam Kì, Giao Chỉ Chi Na

Synonyms of Cochin China

Forms of Cochin China

Proper noun
alternative formCochin-China
alternative formCochinchina
alternative formCauchin China
Noun
pluralCochin Chinas

Origin of Cochin China

From French Cochin-China; from a Portuguese corruption of Ko-chen, + China, distinguishing it from the Indian town of Cochin (which has a different etymology and was a Portuguese colony).

Questions about Cochin China

What does Cochin China mean?
Cochin China means a former region comprising southern Vietnam; used as an exonym with its meaning depending on the historical context.
What is Cochin China in Vietnamese?
Cochin China in Vietnamese is Nam Kì, Giao Chỉ Chi Na. See Cochin China meaning in Vietnamese.
What part of speech is Cochin China?
Cochin China can be a proper noun or a noun.

Words near Cochin China in the dictionary

  1. cochief
  2. cochiefs
  3. Cochimi
  4. Cochimí
  5. Cochin
  6. Cochin China
  7. Cochin Chinas
  8. Cochin fowl
  9. Cochin fowls
  10. Cochin ginger
  11. Cochin leg

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Cochin China (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “Cochin China.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cochin_china. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.