borrego

Catalan

Etymology

Variant form of borrec (“young sheep”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [buˈre̞.ɣu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [boˈrɛ.ɣo]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [buˈrɛ.ɣu]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [boˈre.ɣo]

Noun

borrego m (plural borregos)

1. a kind of biscotti flavoured with anise, a specialty of Cardedeu
2. old maid (an unpopped popcorn kernel)

   Synonyms: agüelo, frare

Further reading

• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “borrego”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)
• “borrego”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “borrego”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥

Proto-Hellenic *pāwər

Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr)

Proto-Indo-European *-rós

Proto-Hellenic *-rós

Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós)

Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor.

Latin burrus

Latin burra

Old Spanish borra

Spanish borra

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Indo-European *-ikos

Proto-Italic *-ikos

Latin -icus

Spanish -ego

Spanish borregobor.

Portuguese borrego

Borrowed from Spanish borrego.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /boˈʁe.ɡu/ [boˈhe.ɡu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /boˈʁe.ɡu/ [boˈhe.ɡu]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /boˈʁe.ɡu/ [boˈχe.ɡu]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /buˈʁe.ɡu/ [buˈʁe.ɣu]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /buˈʁe.ɡu/ [buˈʁe.ɣu]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /buˈʁe.ɡu/

• Hyphenation: bor‧re‧go

Noun

borrego m (plural borregos)

1. lamb

   Coordinate term: cordeiro

   ensopado de borrego ― lamb stew

   perna de borrego ― leg of lamb

2. (figurative) lamb (docile person)

Further reading

• “borrego”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “borrego”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “borrego”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥

Proto-Hellenic *pāwər

Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr)

Proto-Indo-European *-rós

Proto-Hellenic *-rós

Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós)

Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor.

Latin burrus

Latin burra

Old Spanish borra

Spanish borra

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Indo-European *-ikos

Proto-Italic *-ikos

Latin -icus

Spanish -ego

Spanish borrego

From borra (“year-old sheep”) + -ego.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /boˈreɡo/ [boˈre.ɣ̞o]
• Rhymes: -eɡo
• Syllabification: bo‧rre‧go

Noun

borrego m (plural borregos, feminine borrega, feminine plural borregas)

1. lamb

   Synonym: cordero

2. (figurative) sheep, lemming
   • 2016, “Black Mirror”, in Trap Mirror, performed by Los Chikos del Maíz:

     Pero sigamos consumiendo que no pasa nada; seamos borregos, seamos manada / Que por suerte el ser humano, vaya / También tiene obsolescencia programada

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Noun

borrego m (plural borregos)

1. a woolly, white cloud reminiscent of a sheep

Adjective

borrego (feminine borrega, masculine plural borregos, feminine plural borregas)

1. (derogatory) simple-minded

Derived terms

• aborregarse
• borregada
• borrego cimarrón
• borregón
• borreguero
• borreguil

Descendants

• → Portuguese: borrego

Further reading

• “borrego”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025