-alha

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian -aglia, from Latin -ālia, accusative neuter plural of -ālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.ʎɐ/

Suffix

-alha f (noun-forming suffix, plural -alhas)

1. Forms feminine collective pejorative nouns.

   ‎gente (“people”) + ‎-alha → ‎gentalha (“rabble”)

   ‎criança (“child”) + ‎-alha → ‎criançalha (“children behaving inappropriately”)

   ‎miúça (“worthless object”) + ‎-alha → ‎miuçalha (“bunch of worthless objects”)

Usage notes

• Also found in loanwords from Italian containing -aglia and words derived from Latin containing -ālia.

Derived terms

Portuguese terms suffixed with -alha

acendalha

esquerdalha

gentalha

medalha

migalha

muralha

roubalheira

Further reading

• “-alha”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025