tê tê

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tete"

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *-seːl (“scale”). Cognate with Arem atʰiəl ("fishscale"). Compare Proto-Katuic *ʔnsial (“fishscale”) (whence Pacoh xeal, nxeal).

For a parallel of animals named after their notable physical feature, compare Latin cervus (“deer”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [te˧˧ te˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tej˧˧ tej˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [tej˧˧ tej˧˧]

Noun

(classifier con) tê tê • (犀犀)

1. pangolin

   Synonyms: trút, xuyên sơn