alface

Portuguese

Uma alface (Lactuca sativa)

Alternative forms

• alfaça, alfasse, alfassa (obsolete)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Sumerian 𒄭𒊬bor.?

Akkadian ḫassūder.

Arabic خَسّ (ḵass)bor.

Old Galician-Portuguese alfaça

Portuguese alface

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese alfaça, from Arabic الْخَسّ (al-ḵass). First attested in c. 16th century. Cognate with Galician alfaza and Maltese ħass.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /awˈfa.si/ [aʊ̯ˈfa.si]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /awˈfa.si/ [aʊ̯ˈfa.si]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /awˈfa.se/ [aʊ̯ˈfa.se]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /alˈfa.sɨ/ [aɫˈfa.sɨ]

• Audio (Portugal):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -asi, -asɨ
• Hyphenation: al‧fa‧ce

Noun

alface f or (nonstandard) m (plural alfaces, diminutive alfacinha or alfacezinha)

1. lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

   Synonyms: leituga, salada

2. (by extension) any plant in the genus Lactuca

Usage notes

• The gender of this term is typically feminine. In colloquial use, the masculine may be used when referring to an individual plant or head.

Derived terms

• alfaçal
• alface-batávia
• alface-brava
• alface-brava-do-rio
• alface-crespa
• alface-de-cordeiro
• alface-de-creta
• alface-de-porco
• alface-do-campo
• alface-do-mar
• alface-do-monte
• alface-dos-calcários
• alface-dos-rios
• alface-repolhuda
• alface-romana
• alfacezinha (diminutive)
• alfacinha (diminutive)
• estar fresco como uma alface, estar fresco que nem uma alface

Further reading

• “alface”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “alface”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “alface”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “alface”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026