sapeca

English

Noun

sapeca (plural sapecas)

1. Alternative form of sapek (“Vietnamese coin”)

Macanese

Etymology

Apparently Malay sa (“one”) +‎ Malay paku (“thread of one hundred pichi coins”). Originally described a round copper coin (hence sense 2), with a square hole in the centre, formerly used in China. Term formerly used jocularly to imitate Macanese, however is now the most common term to refer to money, this development possibly being a (relatively old) semantic loan from Cantonese 錢／钱. Compare French sapèque, from the same Malay origin.

Noun

sapeca

1. money

   Iou nôm têm sapeca

   I don't have money

2. coin

Derived terms

• sapeca fêmea

Related terms

• pataca (“currency of Macau”)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /saˈpɛ.kɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /saˈpɛ.kɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /saˈpɛ.ka/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɐˈpɛ.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: sa‧pe‧ca

Etymology 1

Adjective

sapeca m or f (plural sapecas)

1. mischievous (causing mischief)

Noun

sapeca m or f by sense (plural sapecas)

1. a mischievous child

Etymology 2

Verb

sapeca

1. inflection of sapecar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative