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:
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
See all linguistics glossaries:
Published - February 2009
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