Wagyu

noun

Wa·gyu | \ ˈwä-(ˌ)gyü

variants: or less commonly wagyu

plural Wagyu also wagyu

Definition of Wagyu

1 : any of four strains of a breed of black or red Japanese cattle valued for their highly marbled meat In the U.S., Japanese Wagyu cows have been crossbred with those of other breeds to produce unsurpassably tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef. —Saveur

Note: Wagyu were developed in Japan in the late 1800s to 1910 by crossbreeding native cattle with European breeds.

2 or Wagyu beef or less commonly wagyu beef : beef from Wagyu cattle The surface of my Wagyu was intricately laced with delicate veins of off-white fat—by laboratory measurement, three times more marbling fat than U.S. prime-grade beef, though with slightly less cholesterol. —Jeffrey Steingarten Wagyu beef is tender and flavorful because of its intramuscular fat, or marbling. —Sam Gugino — compare kobe beef