Definition

1. Noun:

   • Eggplant: A plant with a fleshy, typically purple fruit used as a vegetable.
   • Testicle: The testicle of certain animals, such as a rooster.
   • Tomato: (Only used in the compound word "cà chua").

2. Verb:

   • To rub: To move something back and forth against a surface while maintaining contact.
   • To file / To grind: To wear down or smooth a surface by friction.
   • To pick a fight / To stir up trouble: (Colloquial) To provoke an argument or quarrel.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhớ canh rau muống, nhớ cà dầm tương. (To remember the water spinach soup, to remember the eggplants pickled in soy sauce.)
  • chiếc áo màu tím hoa cà (a lilac-colored dress / an eggplant flower-colored dress)
• Verb:
  • Trâu cà lưng vào cây. (The buffalo rubbed its back against the tree.)
  • Một số dân tộc có tục cà răng. (Some ethnic groups have the custom of filing their teeth.)
  • Đứa trẻ cà bạn nó. (The child picked a fight with his friend.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "cà" is rarely used alone as a noun for "tomato." Its primary standalone meanings are "eggplant" and, in specific contexts, "animal testicle." In most cases involving tomatoes, the full compound "cà chua" is required.

Variants and Related Words

• Cà chua (n): Tomato.
  • quả cà chua (tomato fruit)
• Cà phê (n): Coffee. (Note: This is a distinct lexical item, not a direct variant of "cà").
• Cà răng (v): To file teeth.
• Cà lưng (v): To rub one's back (against something).
• Cà khịa (v): To needle, to provoke sarcastically or pick a quarrel.

Synonyms

• Eggplant: Aubergine.
• To rub: To chafe, to scrub.
• To file: To abrade, to smooth.
• To pick a fight: To provoke, to hassle.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Cà dầm tương: Eggplants pickled in soy sauce. This is a classic Vietnamese dish and a common cultural reference for simple, nostalgic food.
• Màu tím hoa cà: The color lilac; literally "eggplant flower color."
• Cà nhau: To bicker, to have a petty argument.
  • Hai đứa trẻ cà nhau cả buổi. (The two children bickered all afternoon.)

noun

1. Egg-plant
   • chiếc áo màu tím hoa cà
     an egg-plant flower coloured dress, a lilac dress
   • Anh đi anh nhớ quê nhà Nhớ canh rau muống, nhớ cà dầm tương
     Leaving one feels nostalgic for the home place, For the water morning-glory soup, for the soya sauce pickled egg-plants
2. Animal testicle

verb

1. To rub
   • trâu cà lưng vào cây
     the buffalo rubbed its back against a tree
2. To file
   • một số dân tộc có tục cà răng
     some ethnic groups have the custom of filing their teeth
3. To grind
4. To stir up a miff

noun

1. Tomato
   • quả cà chua cây cà chua cảnh