mondo
1 Americannoun
plural
mondosadverb
adjective
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
Whether tucked into pots or lining walkways or beds, the shiny blades of black mondo grass add a note of year-round darkness to any garden scene.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2023
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
Tu sola tu sei la mia dama, La gioja e l'onor della vita; Tu sola, donzella romita, Del mondo la diva sei tu.
From Love Letters of a Violinist and Other Poems by Mackay, Eric
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.
