‖ hoey
[Chinese (Mandarin dial.) hūy (huːɪ), society, club, guild.]
A society of Chinese: esp. a secret society formed by them in English-speaking countries or colonies.
| 1865 Sat. Rev. 25 Mar. 351 The people [Chinese] from every province form a secret society or ‘hoey’, bound together by solemn oaths, and imposing the most implicit obedience on its members. 1883 Spectator 24 Nov. 1504/2 The terrible law making entrance into a Hoey or Secret Society a crime punishable with death. 1885 Cycl. India (ed. 3) II. 91 Hoe, a secret society of the Chinese into which the members are initiated. |