Definition

1. Verb:
   • To leak (of a roof): Refers specifically to water dripping through a hole, crack, or gap in a roof during rain.
   • To be leaky: Describes the state of a structure (primarily a roof) that allows water to seep in.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Mái nhà cũ này bị dột mỗi khi trời mưa. (This old roof leaks every time it rains.)
  • Căn phòng này dột ở góc trần. (This room is leaky in the corner of the ceiling.)
  • Nhà tôi dột từ trên nóc xuống. (My house leaks from the roof down.)

Advanced Usage

• "dột nát": Describes a state of severe disrepair and leakiness, often of a whole building.

  • Căn nhà tranh đã cũ dột nát. (The thatched house is old, dilapidated and leaky.)

• "chỗ dột": The specific spot where a leak occurs.

  • Anh ấy đang chụp một tấm bạt để che chỗ dột trên mái. (He is putting up a tarp to cover the leaky spot on the roof.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dột nước (verb phrase): Synonymous with "dột," emphasizing water leakage.

  • Kho chứa hàng bị dột nước làm hư hỏng đồ. (The warehouse leaked water, damaging the goods.)

• Thấm dột (verb): A less common variant with the same meaning.

• Giột (verb): A regional/northern dialect variation of "dột."

Synonyms

• Rỉ (nước): To seep, to ooze (water). (Implies a slower, smaller leak than "dột").
• Thấm (nước): To permeate, to soak through. (Often used for walls or foundations, not exclusively roofs).

Related Idioms and Proverbs

• "Mía sâu có đốt, nhà dột có nơi": (Literally: Deep sugarcane has joints, a leaky house has spots). An idiom meaning that even in a bad or flawed situation, there are still specific parts or aspects that are worse or more problematic. It highlights the existence of particular trouble spots within a larger problem.

verb

1. to leak
   • nhà dột từ trên nóc dột xuống
2. (hình ảnh) abuses come from the chiefs