cerda

See also: cerdà and Cerdà

Portuguese

Etymology

From Late Latin setula, diminutive of Latin sēta, saeta (“thick hair”). Compare Spanish cerda, Italian setola (“bristle”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.dɐ/ [ˈsɛɦ.dɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.dɐ/ [ˈsɛɦ.dɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.dɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.dɐ/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɻ.dɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛʁ.da/ [ˈsɛɦ.da]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛɾ.dɐ/ [ˈsɛɾ.ðɐ]

• Hyphenation: cer‧da

Noun

cerda f (plural cerdas)

1. bristle (stiff or coarse hair)

Further reading

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

Spanish

Alternative forms

• ceda

Etymology

Disputed. Perhaps from Late Latin setula, diminutive of Latin sēta, saeta (“thick hair”) (compare Italian setola (“bristle”)), but the initial and the liquid would be irregular. Anders proposes a source in Vulgar Latin cirra (“lock, tuft of hair”), from Latin cirrus, influenced by saeta. Also compare Basque zerri (“pig”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθeɾda/ [ˈθeɾ.ð̞a] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /ˈseɾda/ [ˈseɾ.ð̞a] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -eɾda
• Syllabification: cer‧da

Noun

cerda f (plural cerdas, masculine cerdo, masculine plural cerdos)

1. sow (female pig)
2. bristle (stiff or coarse hair)
3. (colloquial, figurative) pig, slob (woman)
4. (derogatory) bitch, slut
   • 1994, José Ángel Mañas, chapter I, in Historias del Kronen, Barcelona: Ediciones Destino, →ISBN, page 12:

     A Pedro no le mola nada hablar conmigo de su cerda. Está muy enamorado y no le gusta que me ría de él.

     Pedro doesn't like talking to me 'bout his bitch. He's very much in love and doesn't like me laughin' at him.

Related terms

• cerdo

Adjective

cerda

1. feminine singular of cerdo

Further reading

• “cerdo”, 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