Definition

1. Noun:

   • Landmark, boundary marker, milestone: A physical post or stake used to mark a boundary or a significant point. Figuratively, an important event or point in time that marks a stage of development.
   • Mould, mildew: A type of fungus that grows as a fuzzy or powdery coating on organic matter in damp conditions.

2. Adjective:

   • Mouldy, mildewed: Covered with or affected by mould.
   • Mould-coloured, speckled grey: Having a greyish colour, often with fine dark specks, resembling the colour of certain moulds.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Landmark/Milestone):
  • Các nhà địa chính đang cắm mốc để phân định ranh giới. (The surveyors are setting up landmarks to demarcate the boundary.)
  • Sự kiện này là một mốc quan trọng trong sự nghiệp của cô ấy. (This event is an important milestone in her career.)
• Noun (Mould):
  • Bánh mì để lâu trong túi nilon dễ bị mốc. (Bread left too long in a plastic bag easily gets mouldy.)
• Adjective (Mouldy):
  • Căn phòng kho ẩm ướt nên quần áo đều mốc cả. (The basement room is damp, so all the clothes are mouldy.)
• Adjective (Mould-coloured):
  • Nó có một con chó mốc rất trung thành. (He has a speckled grey dog that is very loyal.)

Advanced Usage

• "chẳng còn mốc gì": (colloquial, emphatic) To have nothing left at all.
  • Sau trận lũ, nhiều gia đình chẳng còn mốc gì. (After the flood, many families had nothing left at all.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mốc meo (adj): Very mouldy, covered in mould.
  • Mấy quả cam này đã mốc meo rồi, phải vứt đi. (These oranges are completely mouldy; we must throw them away.)
• Mông mốc (adj, reduplicative, attenuated meaning): Slightly mouldy; having a mould-like colour.
  • Bức tường cũ có màu mông mốc. (The old wall has a dingy, greyish colour.)
• Điểm mốc (n): Reference point, benchmark, milestone.
  • Đây là điểm mốc để chúng ta so sánh các kết quả sau này. (This is a benchmark for us to compare future results.)

Synonyms

• Landmark/Milestone: benchmark, turning point, marker.
• Mould: fungus, mildew.
• Mouldy: mildewed, musty, spoiled.

Related Idioms

• Mốc thếch: (describes a state of being) Completely mouldy, very old and deteriorated.
  • Cuốn sách cũ mốc thếch trong góc nhà kho. (The old book in the corner of the storeroom was completely covered in mould.)

1. Landmark
   • Cắm mốc chia ruộng
     To set up landmarks when distributing land
   • Dự kiện đó là cái mốc lớn trong lịch sử.
     This event is a great landmark in the history
2. Mould. Moudy
   • Quần áo mốc vì bị ẩm
     Clothes get mould because of dampness
3. Mould-green mould-gray
   • Cúc mốc
     Mould-green chrysanthemum
   • Con chó mốc
     A mould-gray dog
   • Da mốc
     A mould-gray complexion
   • Mông mốc (láy, ý giảm)
     A bit mould