raspiáti

Macanese

Alternative forms

• raspiate

Etymology

Uncertain. Variously speculated to be from either French rapiat (“avid; greedy”) or Indo-Portuguese rajputo, rasbuto, resbuto, reisbuto, a military caste in ancient Gujarat, ultimately from Sanskrit राजपुत्र (rājaputra). Semantically, the derogatory senses may have come about when the resbutos, after the Moors took over their Gujarati kingdom, turned to banditry, and were referred to as "great thieves and tyrants".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɾas.piˈa.ti/, /ɾaʃ.piˈa.ti/, /ɾas.piˈa.tɛ/

Noun

raspiáti (derogatory)

1. pauper, a very poor person

   Raspiáti si sã querê
   Tud'ora mostrá grandéza,
   Sã têm qui onçôm gemê,
   Pinchado na su pobréza.

   The pauper who always goes about
   Showing off grandeur,
   Will end up suffering,
   Cast down in his poverty.

2. scoundrel, rascal

Adjective

raspiáti (derogatory)

1. poorly dressed
2. mischievous, naughty, rascal

Further reading

• https://www.macaneselibrary.org/pub/english/uipatua.htm#r