vả

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vaː˧˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [vaː˧˨]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [vaː˨˩˦] ~ [jaː˨˩˦]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *t-pah, from Proto-Austroasiatic *pɔh. Cognate with Khmer បុះ (boh, “to hit with stick”), Eastern Mnong pah (“to slap”) and Pacoh páh (“to slap”).

Alternative forms

(North Central Vietnam) bả (no lenition)

Verb

vả • (抯)

to slap

Etymology 2

Cognate with Chut [Rục] ʔavᵊah (Shorto, 2006).

Sidwell (2024) tentatively suggests Proto-Austroasiatic *lwa(ː)ʔ (whence Khmer ល្វា (lviə) and Mon ဝိ) as the etymon. The coda correspondance between PV /**-h/ and PAA /*-ʔ/ is irregular. Compare the similar case of cổ (“neck”), and also Muong nỏ for apparent alternation of coda within Austroasiatic.

Noun

(classifier cây, trái, quả) vả • (𣛢)

Ficus auriculata

Etymology 3

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root va in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá?”

Pronoun

vả

Third personal distal pronoun.

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adverb

vả • (𡲤)

(only in compounds) besides, again

Derived terms