Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Very thin, skinny, emaciated: Describes a person or animal that is extremely thin, often to the point where bones are visible, suggesting a lack of proper nourishment or health.
   • Gaunt, skeletal: Emphasizes a bony, haggard appearance due to extreme thinness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau trận ốm dài, anh ấy trông cà nhom hẳn. (After the long illness, he looks very gaunt.)
  • Con chó hoang đói ăn trông thật cà nhom. (That starving stray dog looks terribly skinny.)
  • Đừng có ăn kiêng quá mà thành ra cà nhom. (Don't diet so much that you become skeletal.)

Advanced Usage

• "cò hương cà nhom": An alliterative phrase combining "cò hương" (also meaning thin) with "cà nhom" for emphasis, describing someone as extremely thin and frail.
  • Cụ già sống một mình nên người cò hương cà nhom. (The old man lives alone, so he is terribly thin and frail.)

Variants and Related Words

• Còm nhom (adj): A common variant with the same meaning (very thin, skinny).
  • Thằng bé ăn không đủ nên còm nhom. (The boy doesn't eat enough, so he's very skinny.)
• Gầy nhom (adj): Another synonym combining "gầy" (thin) with "nhom" for emphasis.
  • Nó gầy nhom như que củi. (He's as thin as a stick.)

Synonyms

• Gầy gò: Thin and weak-looking.
• Khô héo: Withered, shriveled (often for plants, but can be used metaphorically for people).
• Xương xẩu: Bony, all skin and bones.

Notes on Usage

• Register: "Cà nhom" is considered informal and is often used in spoken Vietnamese. It can carry a tone of pity, criticism, or simple description.
• Connotation: It typically has a negative connotation, describing an undesirable state of extreme thinness, often due to poverty, illness, or hardship. It is not a polite way to describe someone's figure.
• Regional Use: The dictionary note labels it as "dialecte" (dialect), indicating it may be more common in certain regional varieties of Vietnamese.