sobressaltar
Portuguese
Alternative forms
- sobre-saltar (pre-1990 spelling)
- sobresaltar (pre-standardization spelling)
Etymology
From sobre- (“above, over”) + saltar (“to leap”). Compare Spanish sobresaltar (“to spook, startle”).
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /so.bɾe.sawˈta(ʁ)/ [so.bɾe.saʊ̯ˈta(h)]
- (São Paulo) IPA(key): /so.bɾe.sawˈta(ɾ)/ [so.bɾe.saʊ̯ˈta(ɾ)]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /so.bɾe.sawˈta(ʁ)/ [so.bɾe.saʊ̯ˈta(χ)]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /so.bɾe.sawˈta(ɻ)/ [so.bɾe.saʊ̯ˈta(ɻ)]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /su.bɾɨ.salˈtaɾ/ [su.βɾɨ.saɫˈtaɾ]
- (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /su.bɾɨ.salˈta.ɾi/ [su.βɾɨ.saɫˈta.ɾi]
- Hyphenation: so‧bres‧sal‧tar
Verb
sobressaltar (first-person singular present sobressalto, first-person singular preterite sobressaltei, past participle sobressaltado)
- (transitive) to startle (to frighten by sudden alarm)
- Sobressaltei-a dando um grito.
- I startled her by screaming.
- (reflexive) to be startled
- Sobressaltei-me com o grito dele.
- I got startled by his scream.
- 1938, Graciliano Ramos, “Contas [Accounts]”, in Vidas Seccas [Barren Lives], Rio de Janeiro: Livraria José Olympio Editora, page 146:
- […] sempre que os homens sabidos lhe diziam palavras difficeis, elle sahia logrado. Sobresaltava-se escutando-as.
- […] whenever the learned men spoke complex words to him, he would end up exploited. He got startled when he heard them.
- to jump over
Conjugation
Conjugation of sobressaltar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)
1Brazilian Portuguese.
2European Portuguese.
Further reading
- “sobressaltar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
- “sobressaltar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
- “sobressaltar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
- “sobressaltar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025