mondo
1 Americannoun
-
mondos
plural
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mondo1
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” + dá “reply”
Origin of mondo2
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”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"But these dwarf galaxies have just these really mondo star-forming regions," said U-M astronomer Sally Oey, senior author of the study.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2023
Another option that might work more quickly is to plant grasses — not turfgrass, but creeping ones such as mondo grass.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2022
So if this new sample, which has not been assigned a species, is bigger, then it was really mondo large.
From Slate ● Jan. 22, 2021
Narrow channels planted with mondo grass let water permeate the ground, reaching the elm roots under the house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2019
As they rode off, he waved his hat, and called out: "Con todo el mondo guerra, y paz con Inglaterra!"
From The Actress in High Life An Episode in Winter Quarters by Sue Petigru Bowen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
