méc

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• mách

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) This word is semantic rather than merely onomatopoeic, which makes /ɛːk/ an unusual rhyme even for southern dialects (the old rhyme /ɛːk/ has developed into <ach> in most words, from example, Vietnamese hạch < Proto-Vietic *-hɛːk). Some authors have spelt it mét instead. See also ẹc.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [mɛk̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [mɛk̚˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [mɛk̚˦˥]
• Homophone: mét

Verb

méc

1. (colloquial, Southern Vietnam) to sneak, to tell, to report (something bad) about someone