Definition

1. Noun:
   • Firefly: A small, winged beetle known for producing a soft, blinking light from its abdomen at night. It belongs to the family Lampyridae.
   • Glow-worm: This term can also refer to the larval or wingless female stage of some beetles in the same family, which emit a steady glow.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trẻ con thích bắt đom đóm bỏ vào lọ. (Children like to catch fireflies and put them in a jar.)
  • Ánh sáng của đom đóm lập loè trong bóng đêm. (The firefly's light flickered in the darkness.)
  • Khu vườn đầy đom đóm trông như một bầu trời sao nhỏ. (The garden full of fireflies looked like a small starry sky.)

Advanced Usage

• The light produced by an đom đóm is called bioluminescence, a result of a chemical reaction within its body. This light is often used in similes and metaphors in poetry to describe something faint, magical, or fleeting.

Variants and Related Words

• Bọ phát sáng: A descriptive term meaning "light-emitting bug," often used interchangeably with đom đóm in scientific or general contexts.

Synonyms

• Firefly: The most common English synonym.
• Glow-worm: Specifically for the non-flying, glowing life stages.
• Lightning bug: A common colloquial term in American English.

Related Idioms and Cultural References

• Chứa đom đóm trong bụng: An idiom meaning "to have fireflies in one's stomach," used to describe feeling extremely hungry, as if one's empty stomach is as dark and hollow as a place where fireflies could fly inside.
• In Vietnamese folklore and poetry, the đom đóm is a frequent symbol of fragile beauty, hope in darkness, and the wonders of the natural world, often contrasted with the brightness of the moon or stars.

noun

1. Luciola; fire-fly; glow-worm