cachorro
Portuguese
Etymology
Uncertain,[1][2] perhaps from Basque txakur, with metathesis, or from a Vulgar Latin *cattulus,[3] from Latin catulus, and possibly via Spanish cachorro (“cub”). Compare also Italian cucciolo and Corsican ghjacaru.
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /kaˈʃo.ʁu/ [kaˈʃo.hu]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /kaˈʃo.ʁu/ [kaˈʃo.χu]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /kaˈʃo.ʁo/ [kaˈʃo.ho]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /kɐˈʃo.ʁu/
- (Northern Portugal) IPA(key): /kɐˈt͡ʃo.ʁu/
- Rhymes: -oʁu
- (Rural Central Brazil) IPA(key): /kɐˈʃo.hʷ/
- Hyphenation: ca‧chor‧ro
Noun
cachorro m (plural cachorros, feminine cachorra, feminine plural cachorras)
- (Portugal) puppy (a young dog)
- (Brazil, Madeira, colloquial) dog (of any age)
- Synonym: cão
- (Brazil, derogatory) a promiscuous man
- (Brazil, by extension) an unfaithful man
- ellipsis of cachorro-quente: hot dog
- (architecture) modillion
Usage notes
In Brazil, this is the neutral and colloquial term for "dog", whereas in settings of higher formalities cão is used instead. The feminine cachorra is even more avoided in such settings (in which cadela is used), but is used more often in everyday language.
Derived terms
- cachorrão (augmentative)
- cachorrinho (diminutive)
- cachorrito (diminutive)
- cachorro-do-mato
- cachorro-quente
Descendants
References
- ^ “cachorro”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
- ^ “cachorro”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20221129153355/https://houaiss.uol.com.br/corporativo/apps/uol_www/v6-0/html/index.php#1
Spanish
Etymology
Probably from Vulgar Latin *cattulus (“whelp, puppy”), from Latin catŭlus (“puppy”).[1][2][3]
Or, from or influenced by a metathesis of Basque txakur, xakur (“puppy”);[4] however, this has been dismissed as speculative.[5] Compare with Italian cucciolo.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kaˈt͡ʃoro/ [kaˈt͡ʃo.ro]
Audio (Venezuela): (file) - Rhymes: -oro
- Syllabification: ca‧cho‧rro
Noun
cachorro m (plural cachorros, feminine cachorra, feminine plural cachorras)
- puppy
- Synonym: perrito
- cub (the young of certain other animals, generally mammals)
- pup (young of foxes, seals or sea lions)
Derived terms
- cachorro de lobo (“wolf cub, wolfling”)
- Cachorros de Chicago (“Chicago Cubs”)
See also
References
- ^ “cachorro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024
- ^ Roberts, Edward A. (2014) A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Spanish Language with Families of Words based on Indo-European Roots, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN
- ^ “cachorro” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
- ^ Spanish in Contact: Issues in Bilingualism. (1996). United States: Cascadilla Press, p. 3
- ^ Trask, R. L. (2013). The History of Basque. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis, p. 416
Further reading
- “cachorro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024