Dictionary.com

mondo

1
[ mon-doh ]
/ mɒnˈdoʊ /
Save This Word!

noun, plural mon·dos.Zen.
a question to a student for which an immediate answer is demanded, the spontaneity of which is often illuminating.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Compare koan.

Origin of mondo

1
First recorded in 1925–30; from Japanese mondō, earlier mondau “rapid question and answer, catechesis between a rōshi (master) and student,” from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese wèn “inquire” + “reply”

Other definitions for mondo (2 of 2)

mondo2
Slang.

adverb
very; extremely: mondo cool.
adjective
large; big: a mondo history paper.

Origin of mondo

2
First recorded in 1965–70; from Italian mondo “world,” extracted from the film Mondo Cane (“A Dog's World”) (1962) and reinterpreted as an adverb in Italian or pseudo-Italian phrases such as mondo bizarro “very bizarre,” literally, “bizarre world”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mondo in a sentence

FEEDBACK