Portuguese

American  

[pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-, pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-] / ˌpɔr tʃəˈgiz, -ˈgis, ˌpoʊr-, ˈpɔr tʃəˌgiz, -ˌgis, ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

Portuguese plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Portugal.

2. a Romance language spoken in Portugal, Brazil, and a few countries of Africa. Pg, Pg.

Portuguese British  

/ ˌpɔːtjʊˈɡiːz /

noun

1. the official language of Portugal, its overseas territories, and Brazil: the native language of approximately 110 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family and is derived from the Galician dialect of Vulgar Latin

2. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Portugal

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adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Portuguese
  adjective
• non-Portuguese
  adjective
• pro-Portuguese
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Portuguese
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Portuguese

1580–90; < Portuguese português, Spanish portugués; see Portugal, -ese

Example Sentences

Hobro said they were often mistaken for Portuguese man o' war but were much smaller, "brighter blue" and "generally harmless".

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

The French were the third-largest slave traders in Europe, after the British and the Portuguese.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

Although their sting is generally considered "very mild" in comparison to Portuguese man o' war, Hobro advised people not to touch them.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

“It showed our organization, our courage, and our resilience,” Bubista said in Portuguese.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

Danny couldn’t understand Brazilian Portuguese, but he liked the musical sound of it.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova