caralho

Galician

Noun

caralho m (plural caralhos, reintegrationist norm)

1. reintegrationist spelling of carallo

Interjection

caralho

1. reintegrationist spelling of carallo

References

• “caralho” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).

Portuguese

Etymology

The etymology is uncertain, but the most plausible source on the basis of both semantics and historical phonology appears to be unattested Vulgar Latin *c(h)araculum, which would have been a Latinized diminutive of Ancient Greek χάραξ (khárax, “stick”).

Another possibility is Late Latin cassus or its diminutive, carassus (“empty”), eventually used to describe a crow's nest on a ship.

Certain cognates include Spanish carajo, Galician carallo and Catalan carall. Attempts to attribute Italian same-meaning cazzo to the same etymon fail on phonological grounds, as the /r/ of carajo (or its absence in cazzo) remains unexplained, and no Latin phonological sequence develops as both /x/ in Spanish and /tts/ in Italian.

Doublet of carago.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈɾa.ʎu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈɾa.ʎu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈɾa.ʎo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐˈɾa.ʎu/

• Audio (Oporto, Portugal)

  (file)

• Audio (USA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʎu
• Hyphenation: ca‧ra‧lho

Noun

caralho m (plural caralhos)

1. (vulgar) penis; dick; cock

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pénis

2. (vulgar) shit; crap; worthless stuff or thing

Interjection

caralho!

1. (colloquial, vulgar) fuck!

Derived terms

• vai para o caralho / vai pró caralho