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English words of Portuguese origin



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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Portuguese_origin




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This is a list of English words potentially borrowed or derived from Portuguese (or Galician-Portuguese language: zebra was actually an extinct striped wild horse that lived south of Pontevedra, Galicia and the name was given by explorers because of the similarities). The list also includes words originally derived from other languages:

Contents

A-E

Albacore 
from albacor from Arabic al-bukr (="the young camels")
Albino 
from albino, with the same meaning, from Latin albus
Albatross 
an alteration of alcatraz, under influence of the Latin word albus ("white");
Alcatraz 
(="gannet") from Arabic al-ġaţţās ("the diver")
Amah 
from Portuguese ama, nurse, housemaid, from Medieval Latin amma, mother
Anil 
from anil
Auto-da-fé, a judicial ‘act’ or sentence of the Inquisition 
from auto da fé (= "act/sentence of faith")
Banana 
from Spanish or Portuguese (more probably from Portuguese, as the most widespread Spanish word is plátano); Spanish, from Portuguese, of African origin; akin to Wolof banäna banana
Baroque 
from barroco (adj. = "unshapely")
Breeze 
(= "from Portuguese word brisa")
Bossa nova 
(= "new trend" or "new wave")
Buccaneer 
from Tupi mukém
Cachalot 
from Portuguese cachalote (same meaning), probably via Spanish or French. The Portuguese word comes from cachola ("head" or "big head").
Carambola
Portuguese, perhaps from Marathi karambal
Caramel 
from caramelo, caramel, from Late Latin calamellus
Caravel 
from caravela
Carioca 
from Tupi "carioca" (cari = white men, oca = house; house of the white men), via Portuguese carioca (native of Rio de Janeiro)
Carnauba 
from carnaúba
Caste 
from casta
Cashew 
from caju (a tropical fruit)
China 
from china (country), porcelain
Cobra 
from cobra (snake)
Coconut 
from côco (boogeyman head, grinning skull, goblin, coconut)
Commando 
from comando
Cougar 
from French couguar, from Portuguese çuçuarana, perhaps from Tupian or Guaraní.
Cow-tree 
a tree abundant in a milk-like juice : from árvore, palo de vaca (="tree of cow")
Creole 
French créole, from Castilian Spanish criollo, person native to a locality, from Portuguese crioulo, diminutive of cria, (“‘person raised in one’s house with no blood relation, a servant’”), < Portuguese criar (“‘to rear, to bring up’”) , from Latin creare, to beget; < Latin creo (“‘to create’”), which came into English via French between 1595 and 1605. [same root as creature]
Dodo 
According to Encarta Dictionary and Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, "dodo" comes from Portuguese doudo (currently, more often, doido) meaning "fool" or "crazy". The present Portuguese word dodô ("dodo") is of English origin. The Portuguese word doudo or doido may itself be a loanword from Old English (cp. English "dolt").
Emu 
from ema (="rhea")

F-N

Fetish 
from French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço ("charm", "sorcery", "spell"), from Latin factitius or feticius ("artificial")
Firm 
from Portuguese firma, the title or signature of a company.
Flamingo 
from Portuguese flamingo, from Spanish flamenco
Grouper 
from garoupa
Guarana 
from Portuguese guaraná, from Tupi warana
Jaguar 
from Tupi or Guaraní via Portuguese
Junk 
from junco, from Javanese djong (Malay adjong).
Lambada 
from lambada (="beating, lashing")
Macaque 
from macaco, through French
Macaw 
from macau
Mandarin 
from mandarim, from the Portuguese verb mandar and the Malay mantri, from Hindi matri, from Sanskrit mantrin (="counsellor")
Mango 
from manga, via Malay mangga, ultimately from Tamil mānkāy
Mangrove 
probably from Portuguese mangue mangrove (from Spanish mangle, probably from Taino) + English grove
Manioc 
from mandioca from Tupi
Maraca 
from maracá from Tupi
Marimba 
from Portuguese, of Bantu origin; akin to Kimbundu ma-rimba : ma-, pl. n. pref. + rimba, xylophone, hand piano
Marmalade 
from marmelada, a preserve made from marmelo (="quince")
Molasses 
from melaço
Monsoon 
from monção
Mulatto 
from mulato
Negro 
Negro means "black" in Spanish and Portuguese, being from the Latin word niger (Dative nigro, Accusative nigrum) of the same meaning. It came to English through the Portuguese and Spanish slave trade. Prior to the 1970s, it was the dominant term for Black people of African origin; in most English language contexts (except its inclusion in the names of some organizations founded when the term had currency, e.g. the United Negro College Fund), it is now considered either archaic or a slur in most contexts.

P-Z

Pagoda 
from pagode
Palaver 
a chat, from palavra (="word"), Portuguese palavra (word), parabola (parable), speech (current fala, discurso), chat (current bate-papo, papo {pronunc. : buatchy papoo}, palavrinha, conversa and also Eng. chat) alteration of Late Latin parabola, speech, parable.
Palmyra 
from palmeira
Pickaninny 
from pequenina or pequeninha
Piranha 
from piranha, from Tupi pirá ("fish") + ánha ("cut")
Sablefish 
from sável
Samba 
from samba, ultimately of Angolan origin
Sargasso 
from sargaço
Savvy 
from sabe he knows, from saber to know
Tank 
from tanque
Tapioca 
from tapioca
Teak 
from teca
Verandah 
from varanda (="balcony" or "railing"), from Hindi varanda or Bengali baranda
Yam 
from inhame from West African nyama (="eat")
Zebra 
from zebra (same meaning), which started as the feminine form of zebro (a kind of deer), from vulgar Latin eciferus, classical Latin EQUIFERVS.

See also






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Published - February 2009


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