formiga

See also: Formiga and formìga

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin formīca.

Noun

formiga f (plural formigues)

1. ant

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin formīca (compare Occitan formiga, French fourmi, Spanish hormiga), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *morwi-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [furˈmi.ɣə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [foɾˈmi.ɣa]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iɡa

Noun

formiga f (plural formigues)

1. ant

Derived terms

• blat de formiga
• formiga lleó
• formigat
• formigueig
• formiguejar
• formiguer

References

• “formiga”, 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
• “formiga”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “formiga” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “formiga” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Alternative forms

• forniga, furmía, furmiga

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese formiga, from Latin formīca, from Proto-Italic *mormīkā, from Proto-Indo-European *morwi-.

Compare Portuguese formiga and Spanish hormiga,

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /foɾˈmiɡa/ [foɾˈmi.ɣ̞ɐ], /fuɾˈmiɡa/ [fuɾˈmi.ɣ̞ɐ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /foɾˈmiɡa/ [foɾˈmi.ɣ̞ɐ], /fuɾˈmiɡa/ [fuɾˈmi.ɣ̞ɐ]
• IPA^(key): (gheada) /foɾˈmiħa/ [foɾˈmi.ħɐ], /fuɾˈmiħa/ [fuɾˈmi.ħɐ]

 

• Rhymes: -iɡa

• Rhymes: -iɡa
• Rhymes: -iħa

Noun

formiga f (plural formigas)

1. ant
   • 1958, Xosé Luis Méndez Ferrín, Percival e outras historias:

     Unha formiguiña senlleira e angueirosa, bulindo por antre a herbaxe ollóu, sen facer bruído ningún, como xacía Rasgulkje impotente

     A solitary and hard-working little ant, cruising by the grasses, saw, making no sound, how Rasgulkje laid helpless

Derived terms

• Formiga
• Formigoso
• Formigueiro
• formigueiro
• Formigueiros

References

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

Leonese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin formīca.

Noun

formiga f (plural formigas)

1. ant

References

• “formiga”, in Diccionario Castellano-Leonés / Leonés-Castellano [Spanish-Leonese / Leonese-Spanish Dictionary] (in Spanish), La Asociación L'Alderique, 2012–2026
• “formiga”, in Pallabreiru Llïonés [Leonese Dictionary] (in Spanish), 2026

Occitan

Alternative forms

• fourmigo, fourmiguo (Mistralian)
• forniga (Provençal)
• hormiga, hromiga, ahromiga (Gascony)

Etymology

From Old Occitan [Term?], from Latin formīca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [furˈmiɣo]

• Audio (Languedoc):

  (file)

Noun

formiga f (plural formigas)

1. ant

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin formīca, from Proto-Italic *mormīkā, from Proto-Indo-European *morwi-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foɾˈmiɡa/
• Rhymes: -iɡa
• Hyphenation: for‧mi‧ga

Noun

formiga f (plural formigas)

1. ant

Descendants

• Fala: furniga, fulmiga, furmiga
• Galician: formiga
• Portuguese: formiga (see there for further descendants)

References

• Ferreiro, Manuel (2014–2026), “formiga”, 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), “formiga”, 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), “formiga”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /foʁˈmi.ɡɐ/ [foɦˈmi.ɡɐ], /fuʁˈmi.ɡɐ/ [fuɦˈmi.ɡɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /foʁˈmi.ɡɐ/ [foɦˈmi.ɡɐ], /fuʁˈmi.ɡɐ/ [fuɦˈmi.ɡɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /foɾˈmi.ɡɐ/, /fuɾˈmi.ɡɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /foʁˈmi.ɡɐ/, /fuʁˈmi.ɡɐ/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /foɻˈmi.ɡɐ/, /fuɻˈmi.ɡɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /foʁˈmi.ɡa/ [foɦˈmi.ɡa]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fuɾˈmi.ɡɐ/ [fuɾˈmi.ɣɐ]

• Rhymes: -iɡɐ
• Hyphenation: for‧mi‧ga

Etymology 1

Uma formiga (etymology 1 sense 1)

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese formiga, from Latin formīca, from Proto-Italic *mormīkā, from Proto-Indo-European *morwi-.

Compare Galician formiga and Spanish hormiga.

Noun

formiga f (plural formigas, diminutive formiguinha or formigazinha, augmentative formigona or formigão m)

2. ant (insect)
   • 2006, Richard Diegues, André Vianco, Alexandre Heredia, Visões de São Paulo - Ensaios Urbanos, Tarja Editorial, →ISBN, page 13:

     Formigas. Formiguinhas pequenininhas, marchando em linha. E elas falam. Elas dizem coisas impossíveis de entender porque eu não falo formiguês.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (by extension, figurative) someone with a sweet tooth
4. (by extension, figurative) a short person

Derived terms

• antiformiga
• formiga-aguilhoada
• formiga-argentina
• formiga-asteca
• formiga-cabaça
• formiga-cabeçuda
• formiga-caiapó
• formiga-correição
• formiga-de-fogo
• formiga-lava-pés
• formiga-leão
• formigão (augmentative)
• formigona (augmentative)
• formigueiro
• formiguês
• formiguinha (diminutive)

Descendants

• Kabuverdianu: furminga, forminga
• Papiamentu: fruminga, vruminga

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

formiga

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

Further reading

• “formiga”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “formiga”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “formiga”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “formiga”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Sardinian

Etymology

From Latin formīca, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *morwi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /forˈmiɡa/

Noun

formiga f (plural formigas)

1. (Limba Sarda Comuna) ant

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin formīca. Doublet of hormiga.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foɾˈmiɡa/ [foɾˈmi.ɣ̞a]
• Rhymes: -iɡa
• Syllabification: for‧mi‧ga

Noun

formiga f (plural formigas)

1. obsolete spelling of hormiga

Venetan

Etymology

See formìga.

Noun

formiga f (plural formighe)

1. ant