vú

See also: Appendix:Variations of "vu"

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• vếu

Etymology

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 bú (“to suckle”), which derived from the bare root.

Attested as ꞗú in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vu˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vʊw˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [vʊw˦˥] ~ [jʊw˦˥]
• Homophone: dú

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

Noun

vú • (乳, 布, 咘, 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 bò ― a cow udder

3. wet nurse
   • 1934, Nguyễn Công Hoan, chapter I, in Lá ngọc cành vàng, Tân Dân:

     – Vú em! / – Dạ. / – Sao vú 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) godmother

   vú đỡ đầu ― female godparent

Usage notes

• 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 胸 (mune, “torso; thorax; breast”).

See also

• núm vú (“nipple”)
• vú sữa (“Chrysophyllum cainito”)
• ức