garfo

Galician

Alternative forms

• garfe, garfio

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese garfio (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin graphium (“pen, stylus”), from Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō); influenced by garfa (“claw”), from Andalusian Arabic جَارْفَا (“handful”), from Arabic غُرْفَة (ḡurfa, “cup or dipper”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡaɾfo/ [ˈɡɑɾ.fʊ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /ˈɡaɾfo/ [ˈɡɑɾ.fʊ]
• IPA^(key): (gheada) /ˈħaɾfo/ [ˈħɑɾ.fʊ]

• Rhymes: -aɾfo
• Hyphenation: gar‧fo

Noun

garfo m (plural garfos)

1. fork (eating utensil)
2. hook
   • 1409, J. L. Pensado Tomé, editor, Tratado de Albeitaria, Santiago de Compostela: Centro Ramón Piñeiro, page 81:

     deuen sutilmente tallar o coiro ao llongo et desy a carne ata a que chege aa llandooa ou ao uerme, et pois que a acharen deuenlla fillar con garffe de fero

     they should subtly cut the [horse's] skin along, and then also the meat, till they came to the growth or the sickness; and as soon as they find it they should grab it with an iron hook

   Synonym: gancho

3. gig, fishgig; pronged harpoon

   Synonym: francada

4. twig

   Synonym: ganzo

5. twig of a bunch of grapes

   Synonym: cangallo

6. (horticulture) cutting, slip; shoot
   • 1404, Clarinda de Azevedo Maia (ed.), História do galego-português. Estado linguístico da Galiza e do Noroeste de Portugal do século XII ao século XVI (com referência á situação do galego moderno). Coimbra: I.N.I.C., page 94:

     et que poñades no dito lugar doσe aruores preſas de garfos τ de reyσ

     and you shall plant in that place twelve [chestnut] trees, with their shoots and roots grounded

7. hangnail

Derived terms

• garfela
• garfelo

References

• “garfo”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• “garfo”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026
• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “garfio”, 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), “garfo”, 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), “garfo”, 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, editor (2006–2013), “garfio”, 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), “garfo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “garfo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

garfo

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese garfio (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin graphium (“pen, stylus”), from Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō); influenced by garfa (“claw”), from Andalusian Arabic جَارْفَا (“handful”), from Arabic غُرْفَة (ḡurfa, “cup or dipper”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaʁ.fu/ [ˈɡah.fu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaʁ.fu/ [ˈɡah.fu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaɾ.fu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaʁ.fu/ [ˈɡaχ.fu]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaɻ.fu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaʁ.fo/ [ˈɡah.fo]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaɾ.fu/

• Hyphenation: gar‧fo

Noun

garfo m (plural garfos)

1. fork (eating utensil)
2. pitchfork (farm tool)

   Synonyms: forcado, forquilha

Derived terms

• garfada

Descendants

• → Brunei Malay: garpu
• → Konkani: गार्फ (gārph)
• → Malay: garpu
  • Indonesian: garpu

Further reading

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