portuguese
portuguese Lexical Profile
• adjective
Relating to Portugal, its people, its culture, or the Romance language spoken there and in Lusophone countries such as Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique.
"The historic district of Lisbon is famous for its traditional Portuguese tilework and maritime architecture."
• noun
A Western Romance language originating in the Iberian Peninsula that serves as the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor, and Equatorial Guinea.
"She studied Brazilian Portuguese for two years before accepting a research fellowship in São Paulo."
A native or inhabitant of Portugal, or a person of Portuguese descent (usually used in the plural with 'the' to refer to the people of Portugal collectively).
"During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Portuguese pioneered maritime trade routes across the Atlantic and Indian oceans."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the people of Portugal, 'Portuguese' is most commonly used as a collective plural noun ('the Portuguese') or as an adjective ('a Portuguese citizen'); using 'a Portuguese' as a singular countable noun is considered dated or unidiomatic in modern English.
• Rhymes for portuguese
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from Portuguese 'português', derived from Medieval Latin 'Portugallensis', referring to 'Portus Cale' (an ancient Roman and Celtic settlement at the mouth of the Douro River corresponding to modern-day Porto and Gaia).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.