Portuguese vocabulary
Encyclopedia
Most of the Portuguese vocabulary comes from Latin, since Portuguese
is a Romance language. However, other languages that came into contact with it have also left their mark. In the 13th century, the lexicon of Portuguese had about 80% words of Latin origin and 20% of pre-Roman, Germanic and Arabic origin.
, Lusitanian
s, Conii, or Gallaeci), or of pre-Roman settlers like the Phoenicia
ns or Carthaginians who settled in eastern Iberia, persist in the language, but there are some exceptions (most are unconfirmed). Many places in Portugal have pre-Roman names, such as the cities of Braga
and Coimbra
and the rivers Minho
and Tâmega
.
:
were also spoken in the peninsula, before the arrival of Latin.
, Suebi
, Visigoth
, Vandal) in Portuguese was small, restricted to warfare and related topics. The influence also exists in placenames such has Ermesinde
and Esposende, where sinde and sende are derived from the Germanic "sinths" (military expedition). Toponym and toponymic surname Resende
comes from "reths sinths", path to the council, the expedition's council.
loan words. In old Portuguese this represented 25% of the literary lexicon, today its importance has decreased as the language became richer and reinfluenced by Greek, Latin and other languages.
The Mozambican currency Metical
was derived from the word mitqāl ( مطقال ), an Arabic unit of weight. Mozambique's Portuguese name, Moçambique, itself was from Arabic name, Muça Alebique (Musa Alibiki), a sultan.
, many placenames and local animals have Amerindian
names, the same occurring with the local Bantu languages in Angola
and Mozambique
.
The country name "Angola" is from a Bantu word, N'gola.
The country name Macau
is from Chinese A-mok, name of the city's temple.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is a Romance language. However, other languages that came into contact with it have also left their mark. In the 13th century, the lexicon of Portuguese had about 80% words of Latin origin and 20% of pre-Roman, Germanic and Arabic origin.
Pre-Roman languages of Iberia
Very few traces of the languages of the native peoples of western Iberia (CelticiCeltici
]The Celtici were a Celtic tribe or group of tribes of the Iberian peninsula, inhabiting three definite areas: in what today are the provinces of Alentejo and the Algarve in Portugal; in the Province of Badajoz and north of Province of Huelva in Spain, in the ancient Baeturia; and along the...
, Lusitanian
Lusitanian
Lusitanian may refer to:*Lusitanians, an ancient people of western Iberian Peninsula.**Lusitanian language, the language of the ancient Lusitanians.**Lusitanian mythology, the mythology of the ancient Lusitanians....
s, Conii, or Gallaeci), or of pre-Roman settlers like the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns or Carthaginians who settled in eastern Iberia, persist in the language, but there are some exceptions (most are unconfirmed). Many places in Portugal have pre-Roman names, such as the cities of Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
and Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
and the rivers Minho
Minho River
The Minho or Miño is the longest river in Galicia, Spain, with an extension of 340 km.Both names come from Latin Minius...
and Tâmega
Tâmega
The Tâmega or Támega is an international river belonging to Spain and Portugal. The river begins its course near Verín, Galicia flowing south to Portugal, in the historical provinces of Trás-os-Montes and Douro Litoral....
.
Iberian
From IberianIberian language
The Iberian language was the language of a people identified by Greek and Roman sources who lived in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Iberian peninsula. The ancient Iberians can be identified as a rather nebulous local culture between the 7th and 1st century BC...
:
- abóbora "pumpkin"
- arroio "brook, stream"
- baía "bay" (cf. Basque ibai 'river')
- balsa "ferry"
- barranco "ravine"
- barro "mud; clay"
- bezerro "1 year-old calf"
- bizarro "quaint, bizarre"
- cama "bed" (Vulgar Latin: cama)
- carrasco "executioner"
- cavaco "small woods"
- esquerdo "left" (cf. Basque ezker 'left')
- lousa "slate"
- manteiga "butter"
- mata, mato "woods"
- morro "hill"
- mouta, moita "bush"
- sapo "toad"
- sarna "scabbies"
- seara "crops"
- tojo "gorse"
- várzea "meadow"
- veiga "meadow, grassland"
Celtic
Continental Celtic languagesContinental Celtic languages
The Continental Celtic languages are the Celtic languages, now extinct, that were spoken on the continent of Europe, as distinguished from the Insular Celtic languages of Britain and Ireland. The Continental Celtic languages were spoken by the people known to Roman and Greek writers as Keltoi,...
were also spoken in the peninsula, before the arrival of Latin.
- bico "beak, bill" (Latin: biccus)
- brio "pride, courage"
- bruxa "witch"
- cabana "hut" (Latin: capanna)
- camba from célt *kambos
- canga "yoke"
- carro "car, cart" (Latin: carrus)
- carvalho "oak"
- cerveja "beer" (Latin: cerevisia)
- légua "league (unit)"
- peça "piece"
- penedo "cliff"
- picar "to prick"
- tranca "latch"
Germanic languages
The Germanic influence (BuriBuri (Germanic tribe)
The Buri were a Germanic tribe mentioned in the Germania of Tacitus, where they initially "close the back" of the Marcomanni and Quadi of Bohemia and Moravia. It is said that their speech and customs were like those of the Suebi...
, Suebi
Suebi
The Suebi or Suevi were a group of Germanic peoples who were first mentioned by Julius Caesar in connection with Ariovistus' campaign, c...
, Visigoth
Visigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
, Vandal) in Portuguese was small, restricted to warfare and related topics. The influence also exists in placenames such has Ermesinde
Ermesinde
Ermesinde is a Portuguese city located in the municipality of Valongo, 9 km northeast from Porto. It has a population of about 40,000 inhabitants and an area of about 7 km². This means that although being the smallest of the civil parishes in Valongo's municipality, it's the most highly...
and Esposende, where sinde and sende are derived from the Germanic "sinths" (military expedition). Toponym and toponymic surname Resende
Resende
-Portugal:* Resende Municipality, a municipality in the district of Viseu* Resende , a civil parish in the municipality of Resende* Resende , a civil parish in the municipality of Paredes de Coura...
comes from "reths sinths", path to the council, the expedition's council.
- Barão (baron) from Germanic baro
- Branco from Germanic blank
- Broa "loaf" from Germanic brauþam
- Camisa "shirt" (Fr.: chemise Latin: camisia < Celt < PGmc *khamiþjō, cf OHG hemidi, Germ Hemd "shirt")
- Ganhar (to gain) from Germanic waidanjan
- Guerra (war) from Gothic wirro
- Roubar (to rob) from Germanic raubon
- Aleive (treason) from Gothic lavjan
- Alvergue/Albergue from Gothic haribergo
- Elmo from Gothic hilms
- Espora (spur) from Gothic spaúra
- Estaca (stake) from Gothic stakka
- Escanção from Gothic skankja
- Fona from Gothic fon
- Fornir from Gothic frumjan
- Godo/Gótico from Gothic guthans
- Guarda/Guardião/Guardar/ Aguardar from Germanic wardaz, Visigothic wardjan Gothic wer
- Guia from Gothic wida
- Lasca from Gothic laska
- Orgulho from Germanic urgōli
- Marta from Gothic marthus
- Roca from Gothic ruka
- Tampa from Gothic tappa
- Triscar from Gothic thriskan
- Tascar from Gothic taskon
- Trégua from Gothic trigivo
- Aringa from Gothic hrings
- Banco from Gothic banka
- Ufa from Gothic ufjo'
Arabic
Projections indicate 1000 ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
loan words. In old Portuguese this represented 25% of the literary lexicon, today its importance has decreased as the language became richer and reinfluenced by Greek, Latin and other languages.
- Alcova (alcove) from alkubba ( الكبة )
- Aldeia (village) from aldaya ( الدية )
- Alface (lettuce) from alkhass ( الخس )
- Algarismo (number, figure) from alkarizmi ( الكرزم )
- Algema (handcuff) from alzhaimar (bracelet) (سوار)
- Almirante (admiral) from amir + ar-rahl ( امير الرّال )
- Almofada (cushion) from almukhadda ( المخدّة )
- Âmbar (amber) from anbar ( انبر )
- Armazém (warehouse; a cognateCognateIn linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of English "magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
") from almahazan ( المحزا ) - Arroz (rice) from arruz (loan from Greek óryza) ( الروز )
- Açúcar (sugar) from "as-sukkar" ( السكّر )
- Azeite (olive oil) from azzait ( الزّيت )
- Fátima (woman's name, and name of a town in PortugalFátima, PortugalFátima is a city in Portugal famous for the Marian apparitions, recognized by the Catholic Church, that took place there in 1917. The town itself has a population of 7,756 and is located in the municipality of Ourém, in the Centro Region and Médio Tejo Subregion...
) from Fāṭimah ( فاطيمى ) - Garrafa (bottle) from garrafā (cognateCognateIn linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of English "caraffe") ( الغرّافة ) - Girafa (giraffe) from zurafa ( الزرفة )
- Jasmim (jasmine) from yasmin (loan from Persian jasamin) ( يسمن )
- Jarra (vase) from jarra ( الجارة )
The Mozambican currency Metical
Mozambican metical
The metical is the currency of Mozambique, abbreviated with the symbol MZN or MTn. It is nominally divided into 100 centavos.-First metical :...
was derived from the word mitqāl ( مطقال ), an Arabic unit of weight. Mozambique's Portuguese name, Moçambique, itself was from Arabic name, Muça Alebique (Musa Alibiki), a sultan.
Influences from outside Europe
With the Portuguese discoveries linguistic contact was made, and the Portuguese language became influenced by other languages with which it came into contact outside Europe. In BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, many placenames and local animals have Amerindian
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
names, the same occurring with the local Bantu languages in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
.
Africa
- Banana (banana) from WolofWolof languageWolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
- Babá (babysitter), a name developed by the slaves to wet-nurses
- Bungular (to dance like African wizards) from KimbunduKimbunduNorth Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
kubungula - Cachimbo (smoking pipe) from KimbunduKimbunduNorth Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
- Careca (bald) from KimbunduKimbunduNorth Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
- Cabiri (small domestic animal) from KimbunduKimbunduNorth Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
kabiribiri - Cafuné (caress on the head) from KimbunduKimbunduNorth Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
kifumate - Capoeira (Brazilian martial art) from KikongoKongo languageThe Kongo language, or Kikongo, is the Bantu language spoken by the Bakongo and Bandundu people living in the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and Angola. It is a tonal language and formed the base for Kituba, a Bantu creole and lingua franca...
kipura (cf. Port. & Lat. cap) - Marimba (musical instrument) from Bantu marimba/malimba
- Missanga (glass beads for threading) from KimbunduKimbunduNorth Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
The country name "Angola" is from a Bantu word, N'gola.
Americas
- Ananás (pineapple) from Tupi–Guarani naná
- Abacaxi (pineapple) from TupiOld Tupi languageOld Tupi or Classical Tupi is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the native Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who lived close to the sea. It belongs to the Tupi–Guarani language family, and which has a written history spanning the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries...
ibá + cati - Jaguar (jaguar) from Tupi–Guarani jaguara
- Tatu (armadillo) from GuaraniGuaraní languageGuaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...
tatu - Tucano (toucan) from Guarani tucan
Asia
- Bengala reduced form of «cana de Bengala»; Bengala is a golf on the eastern coast of India.
- Biombo (screen with multiple panels to divide a room) from the JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
Beôbu - Canja do malaiala (língua do Malabar – Índia) por intermédio do concani ou concanim (língua de Goa).
- Chá (Tea), from ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
cha - Corja (rabble) from MalayMalay languageMalay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
kórchchu - Leque forma abreviada de "abano léquio", onde léquio significa "relativo às ilhas Léquias, situadas a sul do Japão".
- Ramarrão, ramerrão or rame-rame (monotonous sound), from Hindi ráma-ráma
- Manga (mango), from Malay mangga
- Catana (cutlass) from JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
katana
The country name Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
is from Chinese A-mok, name of the city's temple.
See also
- Differences between Spanish and PortugueseDifferences between Spanish and PortugueseAlthough Portuguese and Spanish are closely related, to the point of having a considerable degree of mutual intelligibility, there are also important differences between them, which can pose difficulties for people acquainted with one of the languages who attempt to learn the other...
- List of Brazil state name etymologies
- Portuguese exonymsPortuguese exonymsBelow is a list of Portuguese language exonyms for places in non-Portuguese-speaking areas of Europe. Some of them are used exclusively in European Portuguese while others appear just in Brazilian Portuguese...
- Portuguese languagePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
- Portuguese names
- List of most common surnames (See Brazil and Portugal)
External links
- Contrastive Romance Lexicology at Orbis Latinus
- Pranto and llanto, but not chanto – On Portuguese etymology A comparison of sound changes in Portuguese and other Romance languages
- As Projeções da Língua Árabe na Língua Portuguesa, essay by Antônio Houaiss
- Portuguese Vocabulary Online, Free resources for Portuguese learners