twm

White Hmong

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɨ˩̰/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 特 (MC dok, “bull, ox”).

Noun

twm (classifier: tus)

1. buffalo, water buffalo

   tus twm nyob hauv liaj ― the buffalo in the rice paddy

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 讀 (MC duwk, “to read, recite texts”).

Verb

twm

1. to read

   Synonym: nyeem

   Ob tug menyuam tabtom twm ib phau ntawv. ― The two children are reading a book.

Etymology 3

Adjective

twm

1. single, independent, lone, alone

   twm tswb ― a single wild boar (which keeps to itself)

2. used in twm xeeb (“impatient, self-absorbed, narrow-minded”)

Usage notes

Attached before nouns, rather than after, in contrast to most Hmong adjectives.

References

• Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[1], SEAP Publications, →ISBN, page 331.