vác

Onomatopoeic.

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /vˠɑːk/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /wɑːk/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /wæːk/

vác m (genitive singular vác, nominative plural vácanna)

1. quack!

• vácarnach f (“(act of) quacking”)

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “vác”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “vác”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “quack”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

Probably a loanword from a neighboring Austroasiatic language, potentially even from a Vietic language. Compare Toum baːk⁷ ("to carry on shoulder"), Puoc beːk, Khasi bah (“to carry on one's back, to bear”), Pacoh báq (“to carry slung under one shoulder”), Kensiu baʔ ("to carry child in a cloth on one's back"), Oy baʔ ("to carry on back"). Khasian, Bahnaric, Katuic and other Vietic languages all point to the implosive *ɓ-, from which the Vietnamese form cannot be derived from through regular sound changes (the expected form would be *mác instead).

Compare also Jingpho bà' (“carry a child on the back”), Chinese 負 (OC *[b]əʔ) (B-S), Rawang baq (“to carry on back or shoulder”).

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vaːk̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vaːk̚˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [vaːk̚˦˥] ~ [jaːk̚˦˥]

vác • (博, 搏, 𦠰, 𫆶)

1. to carry (on shoulder)