Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Barren, sterile (of female animals): "Sổi" describes a female animal that is unable to conceive or bear offspring. It is a term specifically used in animal husbandry and veterinary contexts.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Con bò cái này bị sổi, nó không đẻ được. (This cow is barren; it cannot give birth.)
  • Người chăn nuôi phải loại bỏ những con lợn nái sổi ra khỏi đàn. (The breeder must remove the sterile sows from the herd.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "sổi" is highly specific and technical. It is almost exclusively used for female livestock (e.g., cows, pigs, goats, buffaloes) and sometimes for female working animals like elephants. It is not typically used for humans or pets in modern, polite conversation.
• It can be used metaphorically in informal speech to describe something unproductive or fruitless, though this usage is less common.
  • Cánh đồng này đất cằn, trồng gì cũng sổi cả. (This field has barren soil; nothing planted here bears fruit.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hiếm muộn / Vô sinh: These are the general, modern terms for "infertile" or "sterile," applicable to humans, animals, and even plants in a broader biological sense. "Sổi" is a more rustic, specialized subset of these terms.
• Cằn cỗi: Means "barren" or "infertile," primarily used for land/soil, but can be used figuratively.

Synonyms

• Vô sinh: sterile, infertile.
• Không sinh sản được: incapable of reproduction.

Notes on Meaning

• Primary Meaning: The core and most precise meaning of "sổi" is the infertility of a female animal, often implying she has never conceived or is past her reproductive prime.
• Figurative/Secondary Meaning: Its use to describe unproductive land or endeavors is figurative and stems from its primary agricultural/veterinary context.

1. Barren, sterile (of female animals)