Definition

1. Noun:
   • Sternum, xiphoid process: The lower, pointed end of the sternum (breastbone).
   • (Regional/Dialectal) Fontanelle, soft spot: The soft, membranous gap between the bones of an infant's skull.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Anatomy - Sternum):
  • Sau cú va đập, anh ấy cảm thấy đau nhói ở mỏ ác. (After the impact, he felt a sharp pain in his sternum.)
  • Mỏ ác là phần dưới cùng của xương ức. (The mỏ ác is the lowermost part of the breastbone.)
• Noun (Dialectal - Fontanelle):
  • Bà ngoại sờ nhẹ vào mỏ ác của cháu bé. (The grandmother gently touched the baby's fontanelle.)
  • Trẻ sơ sinh cần được bảo vệ vùng mỏ ác. (Newborns need to have their fontanelle protected.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "mỏ ác" is primarily used in anatomical or medical contexts when referring to the sternum. Its meaning as "fontanelle" is considered dialectal and may not be universally understood in all regions of Vietnam. In formal or medical writing, specific terms like "thóp" (for fontanelle) or "mũi kiếm xương ức" (for xiphoid process) are preferred for clarity.

Variants and Related Words

• Xương ức (n): Sternum, breastbone. (The main bone to which belongs).
• Thóp (n): Fontanelle. (The more standard, non-dialectal term for a baby's soft spot).
• Mũi kiếm xương ức (n): Xiphoid process. (A more precise anatomical term for the tip of the sternum).

Synonyms

• For the anatomical sense: Phần dưới xương ức (lower part of the sternum).
• For the dialectal sense: Thóp (fontanelle).

Related Idioms

• Đau mỏ ác: To have chest pain (specifically in the sternum area). This idiom describes a physical pain in that location.
  • Lo lắng quá khiến tôi đau mỏ ác. (Worrying too much gives me chest pain.)

1. End of the sternum.
2. (địa phương) Fontanel, fontanelle