Definition

1. Verb:
   • To be contagious; to be infectious: Describes a disease or condition that can be transmitted from one person, animal, or thing to another through direct or indirect contact.
   • To catch; to contract: Describes the action of acquiring a disease or condition from an infected source.
   • To spread (to feelings/moods): Describes the transmission of an emotional state, behavior, or influence from one person to another, often involuntarily.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cảm cúm rất dễ lây. (The flu is very contagious.)
  • Tôi sợ bị lây bệnh từ anh trai. (I'm afraid of catching the disease from my brother.)
  • Sự nhiệt tình của cô ấy lây sang cả nhóm. (Her enthusiasm spread to the whole group.)

Advanced Usage

• "lây lan": to spread, to propagate (often used for diseases, information, or fire).
  • Tin đồn lây lan với tốc độ chóng mặt. (The rumor spread at a dizzying speed.)
• "truyền lây": to transmit (a more formal term for disease transmission).
  • Muỗi là vật trung gian truyền lây sốt rét. (Mosquitoes are vectors that transmit malaria.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lây nhiễm (v): to infect, to contaminate.
  • Vi-rút lây nhiễm qua đường máu. (The virus is transmitted through blood.)
• Nhiễm (v): to be infected with, to contract.
  • Bệnh nhân nhiễm vi-rút mới. (The patient is infected with the new virus.)

Synonyms

• Contagious: (of a disease) spread by direct or indirect contact.
• Infectious: (of a disease or organism) likely to be transmitted to people or organisms.
• Communicable: (of a disease) able to be transmitted from one person to another.
• Catch: to contract (an illness).

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Vui lây / Buồn lây / Thơm lây / Xấu hổ lây: To share in someone's joy/sadness/glory/shame by association or proximity.
  • Con cái thành đạt, cha mẹ được vui lây. (When children are successful, their parents share in the joy.)
  • Anh ta phạm tội, cả gia đình xấu hổ lây. (He committed a crime, and his whole family is shamed by association.)
• Giận lây: To be angry at someone because you are angry at another person associated with them.
  • Giận chồng, chị ấy giận lây cả con. (Angry at her husband, she took her anger out on the child as well.)

verb

1. to spread; to infect; to communicate
   • lây bệnh cho ai
     to infect someone with a disease