Etymology Explorer › Portuguese

Where does “bravo” come from?

bravo (Portuguese) comes from Italian bravo, from Vulgar Latin bravus, from Latin barbarus, from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος, from Proto-Indo-European balb-.

bravo (Portuguese): valiant, courageous; uneducated, uncivilized;...

Definitions

  1. valiant, courageous; uneducated, uncivilized;...

Ancestry of “bravo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianbravogood, well-behaved; good, skilful, capable,...
2Vulgar Latinbravus—
3Latinbarbarusforeign; savage; uncivilized
4Ancient Greekβάρβαροςnon-Greek-speaking, foreign; barbaric, brutal,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbalb-—

Words derived from “bravo”

  • bravura
  • brava
  • gato-bravo
  • bravio
Every word from Proto-Indo-European balb- →