Vietnamese
adjectivenounproper nouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˌviː.ət.nəˈmiːz//
- United Kingdom//viˌɛt.nəˈmiːz//
Of or pertaining to Vietnam.
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to Vietnam.
As I rubbed my face, a middle-aged man gripped my neck, the way Vietnamese fathers or uncles often do when trying to pour their strength into you.
Etymology
Etymology tree English Vietnam Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Late Latin -iscus ▲ Vulgar Latin -iscus Latin -ēnsis Old French -eisbor. Middle English -eys English -ese English Vietnamese From Vietnam + -ese.
noun
- 1
A person or people from Vietnam or of Vietnamese descent.
They were buried in a gravesite near Kai Tak, alongside other Vietnamese who hadn’t made it safely to shore.
- 2
Vietnamese cuisine; traditional Vietnamese food.
proper noun
- 1
The Austroasiatic language spoken predominantly in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese I own is the one you gave me, the one whose diction and syntax reach only the second-grade level.
If the idea of “exotic” and complex languages with features you’ve never imagined thrills you, I guarantee you’ll get more out of studying Navajo, American Sign Language, Kikuyu, Vietnamese, Cree, Cantonese, Quechua, or Nuuchahnnulth than Quenya, Klingon, or attempting to make your own.