Definition

1. Verb:

   • (Of a bird) to nest, to build a nest: The primary meaning refers to the act of a bird preparing or lining its nest with materials like twigs, leaves, or feathers.
   • (Of poultry) to brood, to sit on eggs: Specifically for domestic fowl like chickens, it means to sit on eggs in a nest to incubate them.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • (Of livestock) to die shortly after birth (while still in the birthing place): Used to describe a newborn farm animal that dies in the litter or birthing nest.
   • To preposition forces or equipment: To secretly place personnel, weapons, or resources in a position near a target or enemy area in advance, in preparation for a surprise action.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Chim đang lót ổ trên cành cây. (The bird is building a nest on the tree branch.)
  • Con gà mái đang lót ổ để ấp trứng. (The hen is brooding to incubate her eggs.)
• Verb (colloquial):
  • Con lợn nái mới đẻ, nhưng rất tiếc có một con lợn con bị lót ổ. (The sow just gave birth, but unfortunately one piglet died in the litter.)
  • Đơn vị đặc nhiệm đã lót ổ sẵn quanh khu vực mục tiêu. (The special forces unit had prepositioned themselves around the target area.)

Advanced Usage

• The agricultural and military colloquial meanings are specific to Vietnamese usage and are not direct translations of the core "nesting" action.

Variants and Related Words

• Ổ: (n) nest, den, litter; also used metaphorically for a hideout or a focal point of trouble (e.g., - epidemic hotspot).
• Lót: (v) to line, to pad, to place underneath. This verb combines with ổ to create the specific meanings above.

Synonyms

• To nest: for birds building a home.
• To brood: for birds incubating eggs.
• To preposition / to embed: for the tactical military meaning.

Related Idioms

• While "lót ổ" itself is not typically part of a wider idiom, the word "ổ" appears in phrases like "Ổ gà" (pothole, literally "chicken's nest") describing a road hazard.

1. động từ. (of bird) to nest, to build a nest