alfavaca

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• alfabaca, alfádega, alfávega

Etymology

From Arabic الحَبَق (al-ḥabaq, “basil”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw.faˈva.kɐ/ [aʊ̯.faˈva.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw.faˈva.kɐ/ [aʊ̯.faˈva.kɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw.faˈva.ka/ [aʊ̯.faˈva.ka]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /al.fɐˈva.kɐ/ [aɫ.fɐˈva.kɐ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /al.fɐˈva.kɐ/ [aɫ.fɐˈva.kɐ]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /al.fɐˈba.kɐ/ [aɫ.fɐˈβa.kɐ]

• Hyphenation: al‧fa‧va‧ca

Noun

alfavaca f (plural alfavacas)

1. basil (plant or culinary herb)

   Synonym: manjericão

Further reading

• “alfavaca”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “alfavaca”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026