sénior
Portuguese
Alternative forms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin senior, influenced also by English senior. Doublet of senhor.
Pronunciation
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈsɛ.njɔɾ/
- Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɛniɔɾ, -ɛnjɔɾ
- Hyphenation: sé‧ni‧or
Noun
sénior m (plural seniores or (nonstandard) séniores) (European Portuguese spelling)
- senior (someone older than someone else)
- senior (someone deserving respect or reverence)
- (sports) a senior athlete (an athlete above a certain age or level of experience, usually the age of 18)
Adjective
sénior m or f (plural seniores or (nonstandard) séniores or (nonstandard) sêniors) (European Portuguese spelling)
- senior; older
- senior (higher in rank, dignity or office)
- desenvolvedor sénior ― senior developer
- (sports) senior (of or pertaining to a league or competition limited to players above a certain age or level of experience, usually the age of 18)
Usage notes
This word’s plural is prescriptively seniores, a paroxytone word; however, it is commonly pronounced with stress on the fourth-to-last syllable, leading to the proscribed forms and spellings séniores / sêniores. Though this type of stress is not usually possible in Portuguese, the pronunciation has a rising diphthong that reduces the number of syllables realized in the word. Additionally, the form sêniors, based on English seniors, is common in Brazil. Compare júnior.
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin senior. Doublet of señor.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsenjoɾ/ [ˈse.njoɾ]
- Rhymes: -enjoɾ
- Syllabification: sé‧nior
Adjective
sénior m or f (masculine and feminine plural séniores)
Noun
sénior m (plural séniores)
Further reading
- “sénior”, 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