rắn mối

Vietnamese

Etymology

rắn (“snake”) +‎ mối (“common house gecko”). See also cá mối (“lizardfish”).

The second element is commonly thought be mối (“termite”), which is rationalized as being skinks' preys.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zan˧˦ moj˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʐaŋ˦˧˥ moj˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ɹaŋ˦˥ moj˦˥]

Noun

(classifier con) rắn mối

1. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) skink

   Synonym: thằn lằn bóng