con
Translingual
Etymology
Abbreviation of English Cofán.
Symbol
con
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Cofán terms
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /kɒn/
- (General American) enPR: kŏn, IPA(key): /kɑn/
- Rhymes: -ɒn
Audio (US): (file) - Homophone: conn; (General American) Khan
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English connen, inherited from Old English cunnan (“to know, know how”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan (“recognize, know how”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną (“to know, know how”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”) Doublet of can.
Verb
con (third-person singular simple present cons, present participle conning, simple past and past participle conned)
- (rare) To study or examine carefully, especially in order to gain knowledge of; to learn, or learn by heart.
- 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 125, column 1:
- For Caſſius is a-weary of the World: / Hated by one he loues, brau'd by his Brother, / Check'd like a bondman, all his faults obſeru'd, / Set in a Note-booke, learn'd, and con'd by roate / To caſt into my Teeth.
- 1815 [1802], William Wordsworth, Resolution and Independence:
- At length, himself unsettling, he the pond / Stirred with his staff, and fixedly did look / Upon the muddy water, which he conned, / As if he had been reading in a book
- 1795, Edmund Burke, Letter to a Noble Lord on the Attacks Made upon him and his Pension, in the House of Lords, by the Duke of Bedford and the Earl of Lauderdale, Early in the Present Session of Parliament:
- I did not come into parliament to con my lesson. I had earned my pension before I set my foot in St. Stephen's chapel.
- 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 21, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
- During these delectable entertainments, Miss Wirt and the chaperon sate by, and conned over the peerage, and talked about the nobility.
- 1876 July, Henry James, Jr., “The American”, in The Atlantic Monthly: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics, volume XXXVIII, number CCXXV, Boston, Mass.: H[enry] O[scar] Houghton and Company; New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton; Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, chapter IV, page 17, column 2:
- He read old almanacs at the book-stalls on the quays, and he began to frequent another café, where more newspapers were taken and his post-prandial demi-tasse cost him a penny extra, and where he used to con the tattered sheets for curious anecdotes, freaks of nature, and strange coincidences.
- 1893, Stanley J. Weyman, “II. The King of Navarre”, in A Gentleman of France:
- Du Mornay exchanged a few words with me, to assure himself that I understood what I had to do, and then, with many kind expressions, which I did not fail to treasure up and con over in the times that were coming, hastened downstairs after his master.
- 1963, D'Arcy Niland, Dadda jumped over two elephants: short stories:
- The hawk rested on a crag of the gorge and conned the terrain with a fierce and frowning eye.
- (rare, obsolete) To know; understand; acknowledge.
- 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC:
- Of Muses Hobbinol, I conne no skill
Alternative forms
Related terms
Etymology 2
Abbreviation of Latin contra (“against”).
Noun
con (plural cons)
- A disadvantage of something, especially when contrasted with its advantages (pros).
- pros and cons
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related terms
Translations
|
Etymology 3
Clipping of convict.
Noun
con (plural cons)
Derived terms
Translations
|
Etymology 4
From con trick, shortened from confidence trick.
Noun
con (plural cons)
- (informal) A fraud; something carried out with the intention of deceiving, usually for personal, often illegal, gain.
- Synonyms: scam; see also Thesaurus:deception
- 2012, Jeff Bhasker, Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff, “Some Nights”, in Some Nights), performed by fun.:
- My heart is breaking for my sister
And the con that she called "love"
- 2021 February 23, Rafael Behr, “Brexit is a machine to generate perpetual grievance. It's doing its job perfectly”, in The Guardian[2]:
- Leavers will be attracted to that story because it spares them the discomfort of admitting that they voted for a con, and then made a prime minister of the con artist.
Derived terms
Translations
|
Verb
con (third-person singular simple present cons, present participle conning, simple past and past participle conned)
- (transitive, informal) To trick, lie or defraud, usually for personal gain.
- Synonyms: (British, Australian) be sold a pup; see also Thesaurus:deceive
- 2017 July 17, Martin Lukacs, “Neoliberalism has conned us into fighting climate change as individuals”, in The Guardian[3]:
- Neoliberalism has conned us into fighting climate change as individuals [title]
- 2025 June 25, Yating Yang, “Taiwan man soaks feet in dry ice for 10 hours to con insurance firms, causing amputation”, in scmp.com[4]:
- Taiwan man soaks feet in dry ice for 10 hours to con insurance firms, causing amputation […] A man in Taiwan shocked the internet after attempting to defraud five insurance companies by immersing his feet in a bucket of dry ice for 10 hours, resulting in the amputation of both feet.
Derived terms
Translations
|
Related terms
Etymology 5
Verb
con (third-person singular simple present cons, present participle conning, simple past and past participle conned)
- Alternative form of conn (“direct a ship”).
Noun
con (uncountable)
- Alternative form of conn (“navigational direction of a ship”).
Derived terms
Etymology 6
Clipping of convention or conference.
Noun
con (plural cons)
- (informal) An organized gathering, such as a convention, conference, or congress.
- 1995 September 4, Lindsay Crawford, “Re: Intersection”, in rec.arts.sf.fandom[5] (Usenet), message-ID <9509042250393785@emerald.com>:
- I can't speak for Faye as ed of FHAPA, but it would be really swell of someone could send us a set of Intersection daily newszines, plus any con flyers or other fannish papers that were there to had for the picking up: fannish things, you know, not including media, gaming, filking or costuming, fine fun but not my cup of blog, thank you.
Derived terms
Etymology 7
Clipping of conversion.
Noun
con (plural cons)
- (informal) The conversion of part of a building.
- We're getting a loft con done next year.
Etymology 8
Clipping of consumption.
Noun
con (uncountable)
- (informal, obsolete) Consumption; pulmonary tuberculosis. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
Etymology 9
Origin uncertain. Perhaps a clipping of Middle English acquerne, aquerne, ocquerne, okerne (“squirrel”), from Old English ācweorna, āqueorna, āquorna, ācurna (“squirrel”), from Proto-West Germanic *aikwernō, from Proto-Germanic *aikwernô (“squirrel”); or from its Old Norse cognate íkorni (“squirrel”), from the same ultimate source. Cognate with West Frisian iikhoarn (“squirrel”), Dutch eekhoorn (“squirrel”), German Eichhorn (“squirrel”), Icelandic íkorni (“squirrel”).
Alternative forms
Noun
con (plural cons)
- (dialectal or obsolete) Squirrel, particularly the red squirrel. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
- (Northern England, obsolete) A squirrel's nest. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
Etymology 10
Clipping of conservative; compare lib.
Noun
con (plural cons)
- (abbreviation) A political conservative. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
- own the cons
Derived terms
Etymology 11
Clipping of consolidation or consolidated.
Noun
con (plural not attested)
- (business, marketing) Abbreviation of consolidation: only used in naming. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
Adjective
con (not comparable)
- (business, marketing) Abbreviation of consolidated: only used in naming. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
Synonyms
See also
Anagrams
Aragonese
Etymology
Preposition
con
Asturian
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kon/ [kõŋ]
- Rhymes: -on
- Syllabification: con
Preposition
con
Derived terms
Catalan
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
con m (plural cons)
Related terms
Chinese
Etymology 1
Clipping of English contact lens. Compare Japanese コンタクト (kontakuto).
Pronunciation
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: kon1
- Yale: kōn
- Cantonese Pinyin: kon1
- Guangdong Romanization: kon1
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰɔːn⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Noun
con
- (Hong Kong Cantonese) contact lens (Classifier: 隻/只 c; 粒 c; 副 c)
Synonyms
Derived terms
- colour con / color con
- con殼 / con壳
- con盒
- day con
- 大眼con
- 戴con
- 日con
- 月con
Etymology 2
Clipping of happy corner, from English happy corner.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: kon1
- Yale: kōn
- Cantonese Pinyin: kon1
- Guangdong Romanization: kon1
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰɔːn⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Noun
con
- (Hong Kong Cantonese, chiefly school slang) happy corner
Verb
con
- (Hong Kong Cantonese, chiefly school slang) to happy corner
- 2004, “大學迎新出軌玩Con撞下體”, in 大學線[6]:
- 調查顯示,有七成男生是在不情願的情況下被con的。另外,近四成受訪者表示即使「被con者」反抗,也不會停止con人。
- Survey has shown that 70% of males are happy cornered involuntarily. Also, nearly 40% of correspondents states that they would not happy cornering people, even when the one who is happy cornered is resisting.
Etymology 3
Pronunciation
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: kon1
- Yale: kōn
- Cantonese Pinyin: kon1
- Guangdong Romanization: kon1
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰɔːn⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Noun
con
- (Hong Kong Cantonese) concert (Classifier: 場/场 c)
Synonyms
Etymology 4
Pronunciation
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: kon1
- Yale: kōn
- Cantonese Pinyin: kon1
- Guangdong Romanization: kon1
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰɔːn⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Noun
con
- (Hong Kong Cantonese, chiefly in compounds) contest
Derived terms
- sing con
Etymology 5
Clipping of English consultation or English consult.
Pronunciation
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: kon1
- Yale: kōn
- Cantonese Pinyin: kon1
- Guangdong Romanization: kon1
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰɔːn⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Verb
con
- (Hong Kong Cantonese, university slang) to consult or to question a student society candidate before the election
Derived terms
- con會 / con会
Etymology 6
Clipping of English contractor.
Pronunciation
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: kon6
- Yale: kohn
- Cantonese Pinyin: kon6
- Guangdong Romanization: kon6
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰɔːn²²/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Noun
con
Derived terms
- main con
- sub con
- T-con
Etymology 7
Clipping of English conference.
Pronunciation
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: kon1
- Yale: kōn
- Cantonese Pinyin: kon1
- Guangdong Romanization: kon1
- Sinological IPA (key): /kʰɔːn⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Noun
con
- (Hong Kong Cantonese, only in compounds) conference
Derived terms
- con call
Dalmatian
Etymology 1
Preposition
con
Etymology 2
Noun
con m
Fala
Alternative forms
- cun (Lagarteiru, less common in Valverdeñu)
Etymology
From Old Galician-Portuguese con, from Latin cum, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kon/
- Rhymes: -on
- Syllabification: con
Preposition
con
- (Mañegu, Valverdeñu) with
- Antonym: sin
- 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 2: Númerus:
- Cumu to é custión de proporciós, sin que sirva de argumentu por nun fel falta, poemus vel que en a misma Europa hai Estaus Soberarius con menus territoriu que os tres lugaris nossus, cumu:
- As everything is a matter of proportions, without its presence being an argument, we can see that even in Europe there are Sovereign States with less territory than our three places, such as:
References
- Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)[7], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN
French
Etymology
Inherited from Latin cunnus, probably ultimately of Proto-Indo-European origin.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kɔ̃/
Audio: (file)
Noun
con m (plural cons, feminine conne)
- (vulgar) (dated) cunt, pussy (the female genitalia)
- (vulgar) arsehole, asshole, fucktard, cunt, retard (stupid person)
- 2021, Angèle, Plus de sens:
- Comme un con qui dit ce qu'il pense, […] rien n'a plus de sens.
- Like an asshole who says what he thinks, [...] nothing makes sense anymore.
Adjective
con (feminine conne, masculine plural cons, feminine plural connes)
Derived terms
Further reading
- “con”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
Galician
Alternative forms
Etymology 1
From Old Galician-Portuguese con, from Latin cum (“with”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /koŋ/ [kʊŋ]
- Rhymes: -oŋ
- Hyphenation: con
Preposition
con
Derived terms
| - | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | co | cos |
| Feminine | coa | coas |
Conjunction
con
Etymology 2
Attested in local Medieval Latin documents as cauno, with a derived cauneto,[1] from Proto-Celtic *akaunon (“stone”),[2] from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éḱmō.[3] Unlikely from Latin cōnus, which should have originated a word with a closed stressed vowel.[4] Doublet of gouño.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkɔŋ/ [ˈkɔŋ]
- Rhymes: -ɔŋ
Noun
con m (plural cons)
Derived terms
- Coedo
- Con
Related terms
References
- Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “con”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “caun”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “con”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “con”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “con”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
- ^ "cauneto" in Galleciae Monumenta Historica.
- ^ Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1983–1991) “con II”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos
- ^ Cf. Xavier Delamarre (2003) Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental, →ISBN, pages 30-31.
- ^ Joseph M. Piel (1953) Miscelânea de etimologia portuguesa a galega: primeira série[1], Coímbra: Universidade, page 99
Irish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kɔnˠ/
Noun
con m sg
- genitive singular of cú
Mutation
| radical | lenition | eclipsis |
|---|---|---|
| con | chon | gcon |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Italian
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Inherited from Latin cum (“with”), from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”).
Preposition
con
Usage notes
- When followed by the definite article, con may be combined with the article to produce the following combined forms (marking these combined forms in writing is old-fashioned, and very rarely used apart from col and coi; however, it has always been very common in speech, and it still is):
con + article Combined form con + il col con + lo collo con + l' coll' con + i coi con + gli cogli con + la colla con + le colle
Etymology 2
Alternative form of com, apocopic form of come, found before consonants other than ⟨b⟩, ⟨m⟩, ⟨p⟩.
Adverb
con (apocopated)
- (obsolete) alternative form of com, apocopic form of come
- 1316–c. 1321, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XXXI”, in Paradiso [Heaven], lines 58–60; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
- Uno intendëa, e altro mi rispuose:
credea veder Beatrice e vidi un sene
vestito con le genti glorïose.- One listened, and another one answered me; I thought I saw Beatrice, and I saw an old man, dressed like the [other] glorious people
Derived terms
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 con in Bruno Migliorini et al., Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia, Rai Eri, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 con in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Further reading
- con1 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- con2 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Ladin
Alternative forms
- cun (Gherdëina, Badia)
Etymology
Preposition
con
Ladino
Preposition
con (Hebrew spelling קון)
- alternative spelling of kon
- 1910, Reuben Eliyahu Israel, Traducsion libera de las poezias ebraicas de Roş Aşana i Kipur[8], Craiova: Institutul Grafic, I. Samitca şi D. Baraş, Socieatate in Comandita, →OCLC, page 10:
- Delantre de ti io mi orgolio abato
I mi corason lo razgo con kevranto¹)- I suppress my pride before you, and my heart tears it with despair.
Ligurian
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkuŋ/
Preposition
con
Middle Irish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kon/
Noun
con m
- genitive singular/dual/plural of cú
Mutation
| radical | lenition | nasalization |
|---|---|---|
| con | chon | con pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/ |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Middle Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Muong
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *kɔːn, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kuun or *kuən. Cognates include Old Mon kon, Khmer កូន (koun), Bahnar kon, Vietnamese con.
Noun
con
- (Mường Bi) child
Classifier
con
- (Mường Bi) Indicates animals (including the human)
References
- Hà Quang Phùng (6 September 2012) “Archived copy”, in Tìm hiểu về ngữ pháp tiếng Mường (Thim hiếu wuê ngử pháp thiểng Mường) [Understanding Muong grammar][9] (FlashPaper; overall work in Vietnamese and Muong), Thanh Sơn–Phú Thọ Province Continuing Education Center, archived from the original on 19 September 2016
Old French
Etymology 1
Noun
con oblique singular, m (oblique plural cons, nominative singular cons, nominative plural con)
- (vulgar) cunt (human female genitalia)
Descendants
- French: con
See also
Etymology 2
Conjunction
con
- alternative form of come (“as, like”)
Old Galician-Portuguese
Etymology
Inherited from Latin cum, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kõ/
Preposition
con
Descendants
Old Irish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kon/
Noun
con m
- genitive singular/dual/plural of cú
Conjunction
con
- alternative form of co (“so that”)
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 12c38
- con festar cách
- so that everyone may know
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 12c38
Mutation
| radical | lenition | nasalization |
|---|---|---|
| con | chon | con pronounced with /ɡ-/ |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Old Spanish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kon/
Preposition
con
- with
- c. 1200, Cantar del Mio Cid:
- Çid, en el nuestro mal vos non ganades nada;
mas ¡el Criador vos vala con todas sus vertudes sanctas!»- Cid, from our ill you gain nothing;
but may the Creator protect you with all his holy powers!
- Cid, from our ill you gain nothing;
Descendants
Scottish Gaelic
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkʰɔn/
Noun
con
- genitive plural of cù
Mutation
| radical | lenition |
|---|---|
| con | chon |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- Colin Mark (2003) “cù”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 184
Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Latin cum (“with”), from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kon/ [kõn]
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -on
- Syllabification: con
Preposition
con
- with
- Antonym: sin
- 2021 July 21, Juan Garzon, “Los mejores celulares Android de 2021”, in CNN en Español[10]:
- Este celular tiene una hermosa pantalla, un cuerpo que es resistente al agua (IP68), su procesador Snapdragon 888 (o Exynos 2100), con 12 GB o 16 GB de RAM, ofrece una experiencia muy fluida y es el primer celular de la serie Galaxy S que es compatible con un S Pen, el stylus de Samsung.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- on
- Yo cuento con ustedes. ― I count on you.
Derived terms
See also
Further reading
- “con”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024
- DiPerú | Diccionario de peruanismos en línea
Vietnamese
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Vietic *kɔːn, from Proto-Austroasiatic *koan. Cognate with Muong Bi con, Thavung กอน, Mon ကွေန် (kon), Khmer កូន (koun), Bahnar kon, Khasi khun, Central Nicobarese kōan. Doublet of non (“young, juvenile”), which is from an infixed form of the root.
Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經, c. 12th cent.) as 昆 (MC kwon) (modern SV: côn). Attested in the Annan Jishi (安南即事, 13th century) as 乾 (MC kan) (modern SV: can).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [kɔn˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [kɔŋ˧˧]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [kɔŋ˧˧]
- Homophone: coong (Southern Vietnam)
Audio (Hà Nội): (file) Audio (Saigon): (file)
Noun
- child (daughter or son)
- con cái ― children
- con nuôi ― adopted child
- gà con ― chick
- Con cóc con là con con cóc.
- A toadlet is an offspring of a toad.
- 1983, Homer, translated by Phan Thị Miến, Ô-đi-xê [The Odyssey]:
- Tê-lê-mác, con ! Đừng làm rầy mẹ, mẹ còn muốn thử thách cha ở tại nhà này. Thế nào rồi mẹ con cũng sẽ nhận ra, chắc chắn như vậy. Hiện giờ cha còn bẩn thỉu, áo quần rách rưới, nên mẹ con khinh cha, chưa nói : “Đích thị là chàng rồi !”. […]
- Telemachus, my son! Don’t you bother your mother, she still wants to put me to trials at this home. She will recognize me eventually, there is no doubt about that. I still look like a rascal, in torn clothes, that is why your mother still doubts me, she is yet to say: “It was definitely you this whole time!”. […]
- (rare, chiefly in translations of ancient texts) son
- Coordinate term: con gái
- (only in compounds, in fixed expressions) build; stature
Derived terms
Noun
Derived terms
- con con
- cỏn con
See also
Pronoun
- I/me (used by children when talking to their parents)
- (chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) I/me (used when talking to someone significantly older than the speaker)
- you (used by parents when talking to their children)
- (chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) you (used when talking to some significantly younger than the speaker)
- Là con thật!
- It's you for real!
Usage notes
- Sense (4) is chiefly used in Central and Southern Vietnam, perhaps extensively to North Central Vietnam. In Northern Vietnam, cháu is used instead. Some Northerners, however, do use con, especially when talking to Southern children on Southern TV shows.
Synonyms
- (you (4)): cháu
Classifier
- Indicates animals (including humans).
- (disrespectful) Indicates female people.
- Antonym: thằng
- một thằng, hai con ― one guy, two girls
- Indicates knives, ships, boats, trains and eye pupils.
- con dao ― a knife
- Indicates roads, rivers, streams and waves.
- trên con đường đến hạnh phúc ― on the road/path to happiness
- (somewhat literary) Indicates written characters.
- con chữ ― a character or letter
- (colloquial) Indicates any piece of technology, especially with the brand name.
- Indicates electronic devices.
- Con Iphone của em đấy. ― This is my Iphone.
- Indicates wheeled vehicles.
- Anh mày có hẳn hai con xe Honda đấy nhớ!
- I have two Honda motorbikes!
- Indicates video games and movies.
- Ông chơi con game này chưa?
- Have you played this game?
- Indicates electronic devices.
Usage notes
- Even though con người is used, it is generally thought of as a noun phrase on its own, and người does not require a classifier because it is itself a classifier (compare Japanese 人 (nin)). Một con người "a person" does not sound dehumanizing, but even literary, while một người sounds casual enough.
- The phrase con người is popularly employed as a philosophical trope or device to bring up discussions about what it means to be human as opposed to being an animal, even though it is not really semantically convincing given the fact that humans are, zoologically, animals, and there are non-animal things going with this classifier.
Derived terms
See also
Zazaki
Etymology
Noun
con