Definition

1. Noun:
   • Bud; sprout; shoot: The initial growth from a seed, bulb, or plant part that will develop into a new plant.
   • Germ; embryo: A microorganism, especially one that causes disease, or the earliest stage of development of an organism.
   • Origin; seed; root cause: The initial source or beginning stage from which something larger, often negative, develops.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hạt đậu đã bắt đầu nảy mầm. (The bean seed has begun to sprout.)
  • Các nhà khoa học nghiên cứu mầm bệnh. (Scientists study disease germs.)
  • Đó là mầm mống của sự bất hòa. (That is the seed of discord.)

Advanced Usage

• "Mầm non": Literally "young bud," often used metaphorically to refer to young children, the younger generation, or the early stages of something promising.
  • Trẻ em là những mầm non của đất nước. (Children are the young buds of the nation.)
• "Nảy mầm": To germinate; to sprout. Can be used literally for plants or figuratively for ideas, hopes, etc.
  • Ý tưởng đã nảy mầm trong đầu anh ấy. (The idea germinated in his mind.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mầm mống (noun): Often used for the origin or root of something, typically negative (e.g., conflict, disaster). It emphasizes the latent, developing nature.
  • mầm mống chiến tranh (the seeds of war)
• Mầm bệnh (noun): Pathogen; germ causing disease.
  • Vi khuẩn là một loại mầm bệnh. (Bacteria are a type of pathogen.)

Synonyms

• Chồi: Bud; shoot (specifically for plants).
• Mộng: Bud; graft (also for plants).
• Nguyên nhân: Cause; reason (for the "origin" sense).
• Nguồn gốc: Origin; source.

Related Phrases

• Diệt mầm bệnh: To eradicate germs/pathogens.
• Bóp mầm (trong trứng nước): To nip in the bud; to stop something at an early stage.

Related Idioms

• "Mầm cây đắng đất, mầm người đắng lòng": (Proverb) Literally "A bitter plant sprouts from the soil, a bitter person sprouts from the heart." Means a person's character or destiny is determined from their inherent nature or early upbringing.

noun

1. (bot) bud; germ seed
   • mầm chia rẽ
     the seeds of discord