Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Slightly moldy, having a faint musty smell or appearance: Describes something that is beginning to develop mold or has a slight, unpleasant smell of dampness and age, often due to poor storage conditions.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Thuốc lá để lâu đã bị mông mốc. (The tobacco left for a long time has become slightly moldy.)
  • Căn phòng kho chứa có mùi mông mốc. (The storage room has a musty smell.)
  • Những cuốn sách cũ trong hộp các-tông trông hơi mông mốc. (The old books in the cardboard box look a bit moldy.)

Advanced Usage

• Describing Atmosphere: Can be used metaphorically to describe something as old-fashioned, stale, or lacking vitality, though this is less common.
  • Ý tưởng đó nghe có vẻ hơi mông mốc rồi. (That idea sounds a bit stale/musty now.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mốc (adj): Moldy; mildewed. This is the root word. "Mông mốc" is a reduplicative form (từ láy) that softens or emphasizes the state of being slightly moldy.
  • Bánh mì bị mốc trắng. (The bread is covered in white mold.)

Synonyms

• Ẩm mốc (adj): Damp and moldy.
• Hôi mốc (adj): Smelling of mold, musty.

Notes on Usage

• "Mông mốc" is primarily used in spoken Vietnamese or descriptive writing.
• It specifically indicates the or a of moldiness, not something completely covered in mold.
• As a reduplicative word (từ láy), its meaning is closely tied to and derived from the root word "mốc".

1. xem mốc (láy)