con nít
Vietnamese
Etymology
Compound of con (“child”) + nít (“small (of a child)”); the second element is inherited from Proto-Vietic *ɗiːt (“small”), from Proto-Austroasiatic *kɗiətʔ (“small”). Cognate with Riang [Lang] kᵊndiət² ("small"), Khasi khyndiat (“few, little”), Mon ဍောတ်.
Pronunciation
Noun
- (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, derogatory elsewhere) small child, kid
- 1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 3, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:
- Con nít ở đây đều nếm mùi thịt rắn từ hồi còn trong bụng mẹ.
- The kids around here get a taste for snake meat from when still inside their mothers' bellies.
Derived terms
- con nít con nôi
- con nít quỷ