Portuguese

noun

Por·​tu·​guese ˈpȯr-chə-ˌgēz 

-ˌgēs;

ˌpȯr-chə-ˈgēz,

-ˈgēs 

plural Portuguese

1

a

: a native or inhabitant of Portugal

b

: one who is of Portuguese descent

2

: the Romance language of Portugal and Brazil

Portuguese adjective

Examples of Portuguese in a Sentence

She is teaching her son Portuguese.

the customs of the Portuguese

Recent Examples on the Web

Valadao, whose parents emigrated from the Azores, speaks Portuguese and Spanish, as a result of growing up on a dairy farm alongside Mexican farmworkers, Borges said. —Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

Some include Corradi or Corrado (Italian), Konrad (Polish, Swedish), and Conrado (Spanish, Portuguese). —Anna Moeslein, Parents, 26 Oct. 2024

Scary Movies for Spooky Season The Artistic Revolution of Portuguese Cinema Notes on Birding Season We are in the midst of migratory bird season in New York, the time when the city’s birders are at their most eagle-eyed. —Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024

But her family went again and again—at the invitation of their friend Kerstin Thomas, a German artist studying Portuguese in nearby Coimbra. —Ann Abel, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese português, adjective & noun, from Portugal

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Portuguese

• Portuguese man-of-war
• Portuguese water dog
• the Portuguese

Kids Definition

Portuguese

noun

Por·​tu·​guese ˈpōr-chə-ˌgēz  ˈpȯr- 

-ˌgēs;

ˌpōr-chə-ˈgēz,

ˌpȯr-,

-ˈgēs

plural Portuguese

1

: a person born or living in Portugal

2

: the language of Portugal and Brazil

Portuguese adjective