sertão

See also: Sertao and Sertão

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese sertão.

Noun

sertão (plural sertãos or sertões)

(geography) The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil.
- 1984, Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Helen R. Lane, The War of the End of the World, Folio Society, published 2012, page 58:
  The news soon spread throughout the sertão: the saint who had wandered the length and breadth of the land for a quarter of a century had put down roots in that place surrounded by stony hills called Canudos […] .
(loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country.

Anagrams

astore, oaters, orates, osetra

Portuguese

Etymology

Uncertain, possible shortening of desertão (“big desert”) (which is from deserto +‎ -ão) or from Latin sertānus.

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/ [sehˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]
- (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /seɾˈtɐ̃w̃/ [seɾˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/ [seχˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /seɻˈtɐ̃w̃/ [seɻˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɨɾˈtɐ̃w̃/

Rhymes: -ɐ̃w̃
Hyphenation: ser‧tão

Noun

sertão m (countable and uncountable, plural sertões)

(geography) sertão
1. The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil.
2. (loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country.

Usage notes

This term is often translated into English as backlands.

Derived terms