mongo

See also: MONGO, Mongo, möngö, and môngò

English

Etymology 1

Unknown

Noun

mongo (uncountable)

1. (New York City) Still-usable things salvaged (by sanmen) from garbage. [since the 1970s or 80s]
   • 1984, [NYC] Issue 1-6, page 51:

     The old room was furnished in "mongo," Sanit lingo for stuff picked out of the garbage. Mongo-picking, Ukeles explained, "is against the law. The garbage belongs to the City. But until a recent rehabilitation program, which is the first since the Depression, the Sanmen never had their own furnishings.” Prior to the show, the Sanmen voted on the worst facilities in the system and Ukeles selected the exhibition mongo from them—shabby, broken-down furniture, walls cluttered with cheap […]

   • 2006, Fine Books & Collections, volume 4, page 56, reviewing MONGO: Adventures in Trash by Ted Botha (2004):

     [Mongo] refers to trash, or more specifically, to treasure found in trash: books, artifacts, furniture, even food. Ted Botha's book explores a whole culture, and various subcultures, that revolve around mongo. Those obsessed with mongo often live on the margins, […]

   • 2013, Robin Nagle, Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks, →ISBN:

     Loading out on house-to-house can take many hours, but such routes have other perks, especially for someone who likes to mongo. As a noun, “mongo” is Sanitation slang for treasure salvaged from the trash, with an understanding that the definition of “treasure” is both broad and personal. As a verb, “to mongo” is to look for and rescue such wealth. Sal Federici didn't mongo, but he tolerated his partner's predilection for it. Ray Kurtz was not the district's acknowledged mongo king, […]

2. (skateboarding) A manner of pushing oneself on a skateboard with one's front foot as opposed to one's back foot.

   push mongo

Further reading

• Cassell's Dictionary of Slang

Etymology 2

Noun

mongo (plural mongos)

1. Clipping of mongoloid.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Spanish mongo. Compare Tagalog munggo.

Alternative forms

• mungo
• monggo

Pronunciation

• (Philippines) IPA^(key): /ˈmoŋ.ɡo/

Noun

mongo (uncountable)

1. (Philippines) mung bean

   Synonyms: mongo bean, green mongo

Derived terms

• black mongo
• green mongo
• mongo bean
• red mongo

Anagrams

• moong

Chuukese

Verb

mongo

1. to eat

Finnish

Etymology

Ultimately from Mongolian мөнгө (möngö).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoŋːo/, [ˈmo̞ŋːo̞]
• Rhymes: -oŋːo
• Syllabification^(key): mon‧go
• Hyphenation^(key): mon‧go

Noun

mongo

1. möngö (one 100th of tugrik, the currency of Mongolia)

Declension

Inflection of mongo (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		mongo	mongot
genitive		mongon	mongojen
partitive		mongoa	mongoja
illative		mongoon	mongoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mongo	mongot
accusative	nom.	mongo	mongot
	gen.	mongon
genitive		mongon	mongojen
partitive		mongoa	mongoja
inessive		mongossa	mongoissa
elative		mongosta	mongoista
illative		mongoon	mongoihin
adessive		mongolla	mongoilla
ablative		mongolta	mongoilta
allative		mongolle	mongoille
essive		mongona	mongoina
translative		mongoksi	mongoiksi
abessive		mongotta	mongoitta
instructive		—	mongoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mongo (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mongoni mongoni accusative nom. mongoni mongoni gen. mongoni genitive mongoni mongojeni partitive mongoani mongojani inessive mongossani mongoissani elative mongostani mongoistani illative mongooni mongoihini adessive mongollani mongoillani ablative mongoltani mongoiltani allative mongolleni mongoilleni essive mongonani mongoinani translative mongokseni mongoikseni abessive mongottani mongoittani instructive — — comitative — mongoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mongosi mongosi accusative nom. mongosi mongosi gen. mongosi genitive mongosi mongojesi partitive mongoasi mongojasi inessive mongossasi mongoissasi elative mongostasi mongoistasi illative mongoosi mongoihisi adessive mongollasi mongoillasi ablative mongoltasi mongoiltasi allative mongollesi mongoillesi essive mongonasi mongoinasi translative mongoksesi mongoiksesi abessive mongottasi mongoittasi instructive — — comitative — mongoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mongomme mongomme accusative nom. mongomme mongomme gen. mongomme genitive mongomme mongojemme partitive mongoamme mongojamme inessive mongossamme mongoissamme elative mongostamme mongoistamme illative mongoomme mongoihimme adessive mongollamme mongoillamme ablative mongoltamme mongoiltamme allative mongollemme mongoillemme essive mongonamme mongoinamme translative mongoksemme mongoiksemme abessive mongottamme mongoittamme instructive — — comitative — mongoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mongonne mongonne accusative nom. mongonne mongonne gen. mongonne genitive mongonne mongojenne partitive mongoanne mongojanne inessive mongossanne mongoissanne elative mongostanne mongoistanne illative mongoonne mongoihinne adessive mongollanne mongoillanne ablative mongoltanne mongoiltanne allative mongollenne mongoillenne essive mongonanne mongoinanne translative mongoksenne mongoiksenne abessive mongottanne mongoittanne instructive — — comitative — mongoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative mongonsa mongonsa accusative nom. mongonsa mongonsa gen. mongonsa genitive mongonsa mongojensa partitive mongoaan mongoansa mongojaan mongojansa inessive mongossaan mongossansa mongoissaan mongoissansa elative mongostaan mongostansa mongoistaan mongoistansa illative mongoonsa mongoihinsa adessive mongollaan mongollansa mongoillaan mongoillansa ablative mongoltaan mongoltansa mongoiltaan mongoiltansa allative mongolleen mongollensa mongoilleen mongoillensa essive mongonaan mongonansa mongoinaan mongoinansa translative mongokseen mongoksensa mongoikseen mongoiksensa abessive mongottaan mongottansa mongoittaan mongoittansa instructive — — comitative — mongoineen mongoinensa

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔn.ɡo/
• Rhymes: -ɔnɡo
• Hyphenation: mòn‧go

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Mongolian мөнгө (möngö).

Noun

mongo m (invariable)

1. möngö (one hundredth of a tugrik)

Etymology 2

Probably of Bantu origin.

Adjective

mongo (invariable)

1. of or pertaining to the Mongo people

Noun

mongo m or f by sense (invariable)

1. one who is part of the Mongo people

Noun

mongo m (uncountable)

1. Mongo (Bantu language)

Further reading

• mongo in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication

Anagrams

• gnomo

Portuguese

Etymology

Clipping of mongoloide.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmõ.ɡu/

• Hyphenation: mon‧go

Noun

mongo m (plural mongos, feminine monga, feminine plural mongas)

1. (slang) idiot

Adjective

mongo (feminine monga, masculine plural mongos, feminine plural mongas)

1. (slang, derogatory) idiot; fool; retarded

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Mongo.

Noun

mongo m (plural mongos)

1. möngö

Declension

Declension of mongo

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	mongo	mongoul		mongos	mongosi
genitive-dative	mongo	mongoului		mongos	mongoslor
vocative	mongoule			mongoslor

References

• mongo in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmonɡo/ [ˈmõŋ.ɡo]
• Rhymes: -onɡo
• Syllabification: mon‧go

Etymology 1

Compare Portuguese mungo, Macanese mungo.

Noun

mongo m (plural mongos)

1. mung bean

   Synonyms: judía mongo, poroto mongo

Descendants

• → Asi: munggo
• → Bikol Central: munggo
• → English: mongo
• → Tagalog: munggo

Etymology 2

Noun

mongo m (plural mongos, feminine monga, feminine plural mongas)

1. (colloquial, Chile, Cuba) idiot

Adjective

mongo (feminine monga, masculine plural mongos, feminine plural mongas)

1. (colloquial, Chile, Cuba, Peru, Paraguay) idiotic, stupid, dumb

   Synonyms: tonto, necio

Further reading

• “mongo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Swedish

Etymology

Clipping of mongoloid. Compare German Mongo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɔŋɡʊ/
• Rhymes: -¹ɔŋɡʊ
• Hyphenation: mon‧go

Noun

mongo n

1. (slang, offensive) a person with Down's syndrome (or often a (congenital and) clearly noticeable disorder more generally)
3. (slang, possibly offensive) an idiot and/or weirdo

   Synonyms: cp, idiot

Usage notes

Less associated with its etymology compared to cp and consequently less likely to offend in (sense 2) (though cp is often fairly detached from its etymology as well).

Declension

Declension of mongo

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mongo	mongos
	definite	mongot	mongots
plural	indefinite	mongon	mongons
	definite	mongona	mongonas

Derived terms

• kioskmongo

Adjective

mongo (comparative mer mongo, superlative mest mongo)

1. (slang) idiotic, stupid