gác

See also: GAC, Gac, gac, gać, Gać, gạc, gấc, and -gaç

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ɣaːk̚˧˦]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ɣaːk̚˦˧˥]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [ɣaːk̚˦˥]
Audio (Hà Nội): (file)

Etymology 1

Some early attestations are in Le Livre du soldat annamite (The Book of the Annamite Soldier, 1914), where it is seen in lính gác and đứng gác. Latter appeared as an entry in Việt-Nam tự-điển (1931) with the elaboration "bởi chữ Pháp ⟪garde⟫" (“from the French word 'garde'”).

Verb

gác

to guard; to watch

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Possibly related to ghếch (cf. rác and rếch, bạc and bệch).

Verb

gác • (擱挌, , 各, 閣, 搁)

to put something on something; to hang something on something
gác chân lên bàn ― to put/rest one's legs on a table
to put on hold
Giờ ta tạm gác lại chuyện đó.
Let's put that on hold for the time being.

Etymology 3

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 閣 (“pavillion”, SV: các).

Noun

gác • (閣)

(architecture) a loft
Synonym: gác lửng

Usage notes

If it's a tầng or lầu (“floor; story”), you get there by climbing a flight of stairs. If it's a gác (“loft”), you get there by climbing a ladder.