cốc biển
Definition
- Noun:
- A seabird of the family Fregatidae; frigatebird: A large, mostly black seabird with long, pointed wings, a deeply forked tail, and a long hooked bill, known for its aerial agility and kleptoparasitic behavior.
- (In a broader, less common sense) A cup or mug for the sea; a nautical cup: This literal meaning is rare and poetic, referring to a cup used at sea.
Usage Examples
Noun (Frigatebird):
- Trên bầu trời đảo, những con cốc biển đang lượn lờ tìm mồi. (Over the island sky, frigatebirds are soaring, looking for prey.)
- Cốc biển là loài chim biển có khả năng bay lượn rất ấn tượng. (The frigatebird is a seabird with a very impressive soaring ability.)
Noun (Nautical cup - rare/poetic):
- Người thủy thủ già nâng cốc biển lên chúc mừng chuyến đi an toàn. (The old sailor raised his sea cup to toast the safe voyage.) (This usage is uncommon and context-specific.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "cốc biển" is almost exclusively used in modern Vietnamese to refer to the frigatebird. The literal "sea cup" interpretation is archaic or found only in literary contexts.
- In zoological or environmental contexts, it specifically denotes birds of the genus .
Variants and Related Words
- Chim cốc biển: A more explicit variant meaning "frigatebird" (literally "sea cormorant bird"), though "cốc" here is part of the compound name, not the word for "cormorant".
- Chim frigate: The direct loanword from English/French, sometimes used in scientific contexts.
- Cốc (as a standalone word): Means "cup" or "glass". It is not used to refer to any bird on its own. The bird name "cốc biển" is a fixed compound.
Synonyms
- Chim frigate: Frigatebird (loanword).
- Chim hải âu lớn: Literally "large albatross", but sometimes used loosely for large seabirds; not a precise synonym.
Related Phrases / Compound Words
- Tổ cốc biển: Frigatebird nest.
- Sải cánh cốc biển: The wingspan of a frigatebird.
Related Idioms
- There are no common idioms specifically using "cốc biển". Its usage is primarily literal and zoological.