DictionaryAI

Portugal

POR-chuh-guhl/ˈpɔɹt͡ʃəɡəl/UKPAW-chuh-guhl/ˈpɔːt͡ʃəɡəl/

Noun pluralPortugals

2 meanings of Portugal

Practice

  1. 1
    countryproper noun
    A country in Southern Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, officially the Portuguese Republic, with Lisbon as its capital and largest city.

    Portugal joined the European Economic Community in 1986.

    The western coastline of Portugal stretches along the Atlantic Ocean.

    UsageThe adjective is Portuguese, as in Portuguese wine. In sports writing, Portugal can come before a noun: the Portugal squad.

  2. 2
    nounarchaic
    A native or inhabitant of Portugal.
    Note

    John Florio's 1603 translation of Montaigne's Essayes speaks of 'few Portugalls'. Modern English uses Portuguese for both the person and the adjective, so a Portugal meaning a person now reads as a deliberate period touch.

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Origin

English borrowed the name from Portuguese Portugal. Its Latin source, Portucale, comes from Portus Cale, an ancient port town around today's Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. That name joins portus with Cale, a word whose origin is disputed. Suggested sources include Latin calidus ("warm") and the Gallaeci, a Celtic people of Iberia. Others point to Ancient Greek Καλλίς ("Beautiful"), said to refer to the Douro valley, or to Ancient Greek Γαῖα ("goddess of the Earth") as pronounced by Iberian speakers.