bóng

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓawŋ͡m˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˧˥] ~ [ʔɓɔŋ˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓawŋ͡m˦˥]

• Audio (Hà Nội)

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• Audio (Ho Chi Minh City)

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From Proto-Vietic *pɔːŋʔ (“bladder”).

(classifier quả, trái) bóng • (俸, 𫕰, 䏾)

1. a ball

• banh

From Proto-Vietic *pɔːŋʔ (“shadow”); cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] pɒːŋ³, Chut [Rục] pɔːŋ³, and Muong pỏng.

(classifier cái) bóng • (俸, 䏾, 𩃳, 𫕰, 𩄴)

1. shadow, shade

   dưới bóng cây ― in the shade of the tree

2. reflection

   bóng cây trên mặt nước ― tree reflection on the water

bóng • (𣈖, 俸)

1. shiny

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

(classifier con, bà, mụ) bóng • (𡞗)

1. (obsolete) female occultist, shamaness
   • 19th century, Emperor Tự Đức, Tự Đức thánh chế tự học giải nghĩa ca (嗣德聖製字學解義歌 "Emperor Tự Đức's sagely study of character creation and interpretation song"), vol. V, 16b

     巫媒𡞗求神

     “Vu”: mụ bóng cầu thần.

     巫 (“wu”): the shamaness praying to the divinities

Possibly from the etymology above, through the semantic development path of "female occultist, shamaness > weirdo > homosexual". See also the adjectival sense of đồng bóng.

For a parallel, compare English queer.

bóng

1. (slang, offensive) homosexual