cacho

See also: Cacho and cachó

English

Noun

cacho (uncountable)

1. Obsolete form of catechu.

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkat͡ʃo/ [ˈkɑ.t͡ʃʊ]
• Rhymes: -atʃo
• Hyphenation: ca‧cho

Etymology 1

Probably from a Vulgar Latin *cacclus, from *cacculus, from Latin caccabus (“pot”); compare Spanish cacho and Portuguese caco (“piece of pottery”).

Noun

cacho m (plural cachos)

1. fragment, piece, portion, bit

   Synonyms: anaco, pedazo, porción, trisco

2. moment

   Synonyms: bocado, momento

3. hopscotch

   Synonyms: mariola, peletre

4. boiled potato

   Synonym: cachelo

5. bowl

   Synonym: cunca

6. holed bowl used for roasting chestnuts
7. shell of a crab
8. (figurative) head
   • 1883, Manuel Martínez González, Poemas gallegos:

     Qué razón aquel rato che tiña/Dos homes falando/Ó decir que non teñen nin pinga/De miolo no cacho/Porque cando o que falan prautican/Todo sai furado

     The mouse was right/When he spoke of (those) men/He said that they have no trace/Of brains in the head/Because when they do what they say/Everything comes holed

Derived terms

• cacharro
• Cacharrón
• cachaza
• cacheira
• cachelo
• cachola
• escachar
• escacho
• escochar

Etymology 2

From Vulgar Latin *caplum, from Late Latin capulum (“handle”), from Latin capiō.

Noun

cacho m (plural cachos)

1. bunch (of grapes)

   Synonym: acio

2. shoal (of fishes)

   Synonyms: cardume, manda

Derived terms

• ourizo cacho

Etymology 3

Verb

cacho

1. first-person singular present indicative of cachar

References

• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “cacho”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “cacho”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “cacho 'acio'”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “cacho 'pedazo'”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “cacho (recipiente)”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “cacho”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
• “cacho”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• “cacho”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈka.ʃu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈka.ʃu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈka.ʃo/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈka.ʃu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈka.ʃu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈka.t͡ʃu/

• Rhymes: -aʃu, (Northern Portugal) -at͡ʃu
• Hyphenation: ca‧cho

Etymology 1

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *caplum, from Latin capulum (“handle”), from capiō (“to take”) +‎ -ulum (instrument-forming suffix). Doublet of cabo. Compare Spanish cacha.

Noun

cacho m (plural cachos)

1. (collective) bunch (of fruits)

   cacho de bananas ― bunch of bananas

   cacho de uvas ― bunch of grapes

2. lock (length of hair)

   Synonym: mecha

3. (botany) raceme (an inflorescence in which the flowers are arranged along a single central axis)
4. (archaic) neck

   Synonym: pescoço

5. (Trás-os-Montes, Beira) fragment, piece, portion, bit

   Synonyms: anaco, pedaço

Derived terms

• estar de cacho

Descendants

• Guinea-Bissau Creole: katcu

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cacho

1. first-person singular present indicative of cachar
2. first-person singular present indicative of cachir

Further reading

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

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkat͡ʃo/ [ˈka.t͡ʃo]

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -atʃo
• Syllabification: ca‧cho

Etymology 1

Probably from a Vulgar Latin *cacclus < *cacculus, from Latin cāccabus (“pot”), see also Galician cacho (“broken container, broken piece of a container”) and Portuguese caco (“piece of pottery”). Compare also Italian cacchio.

Noun

cacho m (plural cachos)

1. (colloquial) piece

   Synonyms: pedazo, trozo

2. (Latin America) horn

   Synonym: cuerno

3. (Chile, Peru, colloquial) shit, lemon, bomb (defective, inadequate or useless item or person)

   Synonyms: maula, rollo

4. (Chile, colloquial) nuisance, some annoying task or work

   Synonym: rollo

Derived terms

• cacharro
• cachondo
• pillar cacho
• poner los cachos

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: kachu

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cacho

1. first-person singular present indicative of cachar

Etymology 3

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *cattulus, from Latin catulus (“whelp”).

Noun

cacho m (plural cachos)

2. chub (fish)

Further reading

• “cacho”, 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
• “cacho”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
• DiPerú | Diccionario de peruanismos en línea