bít tất

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) bí tất

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 蔽膝 (“ancient knee covering”, SV: tế tất). The obsolete form bí tất is also attested.

The "intrusive" ‹-t› in the first syllable occurred in anticipation of the ‹t-› in tất.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓit̚˧˦ tət̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓit̚˦˧˥ tək̚˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɨt̚˦˥ tək̚˦˥]

Noun

(classifier cái, chiếc) bít tất

1. (Northern Vietnam) sock (covering for the foot)

   Synonyms: tất, vớ

   đôi bít tất ― a pair of socks

2. (by extension) stocking