cót
Definition
- Noun:
- Woven bamboo matting: A type of mat or panel made from woven bamboo strips, traditionally used for various purposes such as flooring, walling, ceilings, or creating enclosures.
- (Mechanical) spring: A coiled or flat strip of elastic metal (often steel) that stores mechanical energy. (Note: This meaning often appears in the compound form "dây cót").
Usage Examples
- Noun (Bamboo Matting):
- Họ lót sàn bằng cót. (They lined the floor with woven bamboo matting.)
- Kho thóc được quây bằng cót. (The rice granary is enclosed with bamboo matting.)
- Noun (Spring):
- Đồng hồ này lên cót bằng tay. (This watch is manually wound. / Literally: This watch's spring is wound by hand.)
Advanced Usage
- "lên cót": To wind (a spring); figuratively, to prepare energetically, to psych oneself up.
- Anh ấy đang lên cót tinh thần cho trận đấu quan trọng. (He is psyching himself up for the important match.)
- "cót điện": A specific, dated term for a type of electrical fuse or circuit breaker, named for its spring mechanism.
Variants and Related Words
- Dây cót (n): Spring (the mechanical component). This is the more precise and common term for the mechanical meaning.
- Dây cót đồng hồ bị đứt. (The watch spring is broken.)
- Cót két (onomatopoeia, adj): Describes a creaking or squeaking sound, often like that of an unlubricated spring or old wood.
- Cánh cửa kêu cót két. (The door creaks.)
Synonyms
- Bamboo Matting: , (both refer to woven bamboo or wooden panels used for walls or fences).
- Spring (Mechanical): (the standard modern term for a mechanical spring).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Lên cót: To wind up; to prepare energetically.
- Tuột cót: (Of a spring) to unwind, to lose tension; figuratively, to lose energy or motivation.
- Sau giờ nghỉ trưa, mọi người đều cảm thấy tuột cót. (After the lunch break, everyone feels their energy slump.)
Related Idioms
- Căng như dây cót: As taut/tight as a spring; describing a state of being very tense, stressed, or highly strung.
- Trước kỳ thi, tâm trạng nó căng như dây cót. (Before the exam, his mood was as taut as a spring.)