Definition

1. Noun:

   • Swidden; slash-and-burn field: A plot of agricultural land, typically in mountainous or forested areas, created by clearing and burning forest vegetation for cultivation. This is the primary meaning.
   • Upland field; hill farm: A farm or garden on sloping terrain, often used for growing staple crops like cassava or corn.

2. Verb (archaic/formal):

   • To repudiate; to cast off: To abandon or reject someone, typically one's spouse, in a harsh and unfeeling manner.
   • To shake off; to elude: To free oneself from someone or something pursuing or bothering you.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Người dân tộc thiểu số trồng ngô trên rẫy. (The ethnic minority people grow corn on their swidden fields.)
  • Nhà họ có một mảnh rẫy trồng sắn ở trên núi. (Their family has an upland field for growing cassava on the mountain.)

• Verb:

  • Trong xã hội phong kiến, người đàn ông có thể rẫy vợ. (In feudal society, a man could repudiate his wife.)
  • Con thú khôn ngoan đã rẫy được đàn săn. (The cunning animal managed to elude the hunting pack.)

Advanced Usage

• The noun "rẫy" is central to terms describing swidden agriculture ().
• As a verb, "rẫy" is now rare in everyday speech for "repudiate" but may be found in historical or literary contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Làm rẫy (v): To practice swidden agriculture; to work on an upland field.

  • Cả gia đình lên núi làm rẫy. (The whole family goes to the mountain to work the swidden.)

• Nương rẫy (n): A general term for upland fields and swiddens.

  • Cuộc sống nương rẫy vất vả nhưng tự do. (Life dependent on swidden farming is hard but free.)

• Phát rẫy (v): To clear land for a swidden by cutting down trees and brush.

  • Họ bắt đầu phát rẫy vào mùa khô. (They begin clearing the land for swidden in the dry season.)

Synonyms

• Noun: Swidden, clearing, upland farm.
• Verb (repudiate): Discard, abandon, cast aside.
• Verb (elude): Shake off, evade, lose.

Related Idioms

• Nóng rẫy: To feel restless, impatient, or physically uncomfortable due to heat or anxiety.
  • Chờ đợi kết quả, lòng anh nóng rẫy. (Waiting for the results, he felt restless with anxiety.)

noun

1. kitchen-garden