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See also: , , vu, VU, , , ʋu, and .vu

Vietnamese

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  on Vietnamese Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle Vietnamese ꞗú, from Proto-Vietic *k-buːʔ, the prefixed deriviate of Proto-Vietic *buːʔ ~ ʔuːʔ (to suck at breast). Cognate with Muong Bi pủ (breast). Related to (to suckle), which derived from the bare root.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(, , , 𦜘)

  1. (anatomy, of a primate) a breast
  2. (anatomy, by extension, of a non-primate mammal) a body part that functions similarly to the primate breast or nipple; an udder, a teat, etc.
    vú bòa cow udder
  3. wet nurse
    • 1934, Nguyễn Công Hoan, chapter I, in Lá ngọc cành vàng, Tân Dân:
      –  em! / – Dạ. / – Sao cứ hát nhảm thế? Ru bài khác không được à?
      "Wet nurse!" "Yes." "Why does wet nurse sing such stupidities? Can't you sing another lullaby?"
  4. (Christianity, colloquial) a godmother
    đỡ đầufemale godparent

Usage notes

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  • Albeit used in scientific contexts, this term is still informally considered risqué, and people tend to use euphemisms, such as ngực (chest), instead. Compare euphemisms in other languages, such as English chest (trunk; torso; thorax; breast) and Japanese (mune, torso; thorax; breast).

See also

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