Where does “Portuguese” come from?
Portuguese derives from Old Portuguese portugaes, from Late Latin portucalensis, from Latin Portucale, a place name derived from Portus Cale, combining Latin portus meaning harbor with Cale, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pértus and per-.
Portuguese (English): Of or pertaining to the region of Portugal; Of or...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to the region of Portugal; Of or...
Ancestry of “Portuguese”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | português | Portuguese; Portuguese person; Portuguese... |
| 2 | Old Portuguese | portugaes | Portuguese; a Portuguese person |
| 3 | Late Latin | portucalensis | — |
| 4 | Latin | Portucale | Portugal |
| 5 | Latin | Portus Cale | Oporto |
| 6 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |