carreta

English

Noun

carreta (plural carretas)

1. (Canada, US, historical) An oxcart.

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan carreta, from carro + -eta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [kəˈre̞.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [kəˈrə.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [kəˈrɛ.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [kaˈre.ta]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

Noun

carreta f (plural carretes)

1. cart, dray

Derived terms

• carretada
• carretam
• carretejar
• carretell
• carreter
• carretera

Further reading

• “carreta”, 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

Galician

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese carreta, possibly borrowed from Old Catalan carreta, from carro + -eta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈreta/ [kɑˈre.t̪ɐ]
• Rhymes: -eta

Noun

carreta f (plural carretas)

1. wheelbarrow

   Synonyms: carretilla, cozo

Related terms

• carretar
• carreto
• carro

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “carreta”, 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), “carreta”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “carreta”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

carreta

1. inflection of carretar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Old Catalan

Etymology

From carro + -eta.

Noun

carreta f

1. cart

Descendants

• Catalan: carreta
• →? Old Galician-Portuguese: carreta
  • Galician: carreta
  • Portuguese: carreta (see there for further descendants)
• →? Old Spanish: carreta
  • Spanish: carreta

References

• Joan Coromines (1980–1991), “carreta”, in Diccionari etimològic i complementari de la llengua catalana, Barcelona: Curial Edicions Catalanes

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Possibly borrowed from Old Catalan carreta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈreta/
• Rhymes: -eta

Noun

carreta f (plural carretas)

1. cart
   • 1390, Jose Luis Pensado Tomé (ed.), Os Miragres de Santiago. Versión gallega del Códice latino del siglo XII atribuido al papa Calisto I. Madrid: C.S.I.C., page 117:

     Et rrei Calrros entẽdeo, et com̃o estaua armado de moi boa loriga et de moy boo elmo et cõ moy boa espada et cõplido de grraça de Deus, que era cõ el, entrou ontre as azes dos mouros dando moy grãdes feridas a destro et seestro, matãdo moytos deles ata que chegou onde estaua a carreta, et dou cõ a espada ẽna aste en que estaua o pendon et cortoo

     King Charlemagne noticed, and since he was well armed with an excellent chain mail and a very good helm and a very good sword and full with the Grace of God, which was with him, he entered among the lines of the Moors giving large wounds left and right, killing many of them till he arrived where the cart was, and he hit with the sword the pole where the pennon was and cut it down

Descendants

• Galician: carreta
• Portuguese: carreta (see there for further descendants)

References

• Ferreiro, Manuel (2014–2026), “carreta”, in Universo Cantigas: edición crítica da poesía medieval galego-portuguesa [Universo Cantigas: critical edition of Galician-Portuguese medieval poetry] (in Galician), A Coruña: University of A Coruña, →ISSN
• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “carreta”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “carreta”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Old Spanish

Etymology

Possibly borrowed from Old Catalan carreta.

Noun

carreta f (plural carretas)

1. cart

Descendants

• Spanish: carreta

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese carreta, possibly borrowed from Old Catalan carreta, from carro + -eta.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁe.tɐ/ [kaˈhe.tɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁe.tɐ/ [kaˈhe.tɐ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁe.tɐ/ [kaˈχe.tɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁe.ta/ [kaˈhe.ta]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐˈʁe.tɐ/

• Rhymes: -etɐ
• Hyphenation: car‧re‧ta

Noun

carreta f (plural carretas)

1. cart (small, open, wheeled vehicle)

   Synonym: carroça

2. semi-trailer (trailer pulled by a truck)
3. (metonymic) big rig; eighteen-wheeler

Descendants

• Macanese: caréta
• → Balinese: ᬓ᭄ᬭᬾᬢ (kréta)
• → Hunsrik: Karett
• → Javanese: ꦏꦿꦺꦠ (kréta)
• → Makasar: kareta
• → Malay: kereta
  • > Indonesian: kêrèta (inherited)
  • → Tausug: karita'
• → Tetum: karreta, kareta

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁɛ.tɐ/ [kaˈhɛ.tɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁɛ.tɐ/ [kaˈhɛ.tɐ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁɛ.tɐ/ [kaˈχɛ.tɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈʁɛ.ta/ [kaˈhɛ.ta]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐˈʁɛ.tɐ/

• Hyphenation: car‧re‧ta

Verb

carreta

1. inflection of carretar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish carreta, possibly borrowed from Old Catalan carreta, from carro + -eta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈreta/ [kaˈre.t̪a]
• Rhymes: -eta
• Syllabification: ca‧rre‧ta

Noun

carreta f (plural carretas)

1. cart, dray

Derived terms

• carpintero de carretas
• carretada
• carretera
• carretilla
• carros y carretas
• tiran más dos tetas que dos carretas

Descendants

• → Tagalog: kareta

Further reading

• “carreta”, 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