List of Portuguese words of Germanic origin

This is a list of Portuguese words that come from Germanic languages. Many of these words entered the language during the late antiquity, either as words introduced into Vulgar Latin elsewhere, or as words brought along by the Suebi who settled in Gallaecia^[1] (Northern Portugal and Galicia) in the 5th century, and also by the Visigoths^[2] who annexed the Suebic Kingdom in 585. Other words were incorporated to Portuguese during the Middle Ages, mostly proceeding from French and Occitan languages, as both cultures had a massive impact in Portuguese during the 12th and 13th centuries. More recently other words with Germanic origin have been incorporated, either directly from English or other Germanic languages, or indirectly through French.

Many of these words are shared with the Galician language,^[3] with minor spelling or phonetic differences. It is divided into words that come from English, Frankish, Langobardic, Middle Dutch, Middle High German, Middle Low German, Old English, Old High German, Old Norse, Old Swedish, and Visigothic and finally, words which come from Germanic with the specific source unknown. Projections indicate over 600 Germanic words in Portuguese, with a tendency to increase due to English, German and other modern influences.

Some of these words existed in Latin as loanwords from other languages. Some of these words have alternate etymologies and may also appear on a list of Galician words from a different language. Some words contain non-Germanic elements. Any form with an asterisk (*) is unattested and therefore hypothetical.

Dutch[]

bombordo: port side of a ship: from French babord "portside", from Dutch bakboord "left side of a ship", literally "back side of a ship" (from the fact that most ships were steered from the starboard side), from bak "back, behind", (from Germanic (*)bakam) + boord "board, side of a ship", see borde below (in Germanic section). Also see estibordo "starboard" below in the Germanic section
berbequim= carpenter's brace: from regional French veberquin (French vilebrequin), from Dutch wimmelken, from wimmel "auger, drill, carpenter's brace" + -ken, a diminutive suffix, see maniquí below in Middle Dutch section.

English[]

bar (the beverage establishment)
basquetebol or basquete (Brazil) = basketball
bit, byte, and many other computing terms
Champô, shampoo or xampu (Brazil) = shampoo
cheque = Cheque (US English check)
choque = shock
clicar = to click
clique = click
estandarte = adj. standard
clube = club
cocktail or coquetel (Brazil) = cocktail
cowboy
deletar = to delete
faroeste = far west, Western,
fashion = adj., fashionable
futebol = football
hamburguer = cheeseburger, hot dog, hamburger, fast food
interface = interface
lanchonete = snack bar, from the English word "luncheonette"
marketing = marketing
mesmerizar = mesmerize
mouse = computer mouse
Nylon or náilon (Brazil) = nylon
revolver = revolver
realizar =
sanduiche, sanduíche, sandes = sandwich
show = adj., something with showlike qualities, spectacular
telemarketing, know-how
teste (academic) = test
turista = tourist
vagão = wagon
voleibol = volleyball

Frankish[]

aguentar = to endure, bear, resist: from Italian agguantare "to retain, take hold of" (originally "to detain with gauntlets"), from + guanto "gauntlet", from Frankish (*)want (see guante below) + verbal suffix -are (suffix changed to -ar in Spanish).
alojar = to lodge, to house, to provide hospitality: from Old French loge, see lonja below.
alojamento = lodging (hospitality): from Old French logo "dwelling, shelter", from Frankish (*)laubja "covering, enclosure", from Germanic (*)laubja "shelter" (implicit sense "roof made of bark")
loja = market, building where merchants and sellers gather: from Old French logo "dwelling, shelter", from Frankish (*)laubja "covering, enclosure", from Germanic (*)laubja "shelter" (implicit sense "roof made of bark"), from the IE root (*)leup- "to peel."
bordar = to embroider: from Frankish (*)bruzdon (source of Old French brouder, brosder and French broder), from Germanic (*)bruzd- "point, needle", from the IE root (*)bhrs-dh-, from (*)bhrs-, from (*)bhar-, "point, nail."
canivete = penknife, Swiss army knife: from Frankish *knif via old Fra canivet
crossa or croça = crosier (religion): from Frankish *krukkja (stick with a bent extremity) akin to French crosse, Dutch kruk, German Krücke, English crutch", Norwegian krykkja.
destacar, destacamento (military) = to detach troops: from French détachar (influenced by Spanish atacar), from Old French destachier "to unattach", from "apart, away" + atachier, a variation of estachier, from estaca, from Frankish stakka, see estaca below in Germanic section.
destacar = to stand out, to emphasize: from Italian staccare "to separate", from Old French destacher, destachier, see destacar above.
escanção = from Old Frankish *skankjo 'to offer a drink'
estandarte = noun. a military standard: from Old French estandart, probably from Frankish (*)standhard "standard that marks a meeting place", (implicit sense: "that which stands firmly"), from (*)standan "to stand", (from Germanic (*)standan, from the IE root (*)sta- "to stand" ^[4]. ^[5]) + (*)hard "hard, firm", see ardid below in Germanic section.
guante = glove, gauntlet: from Catalan guant "gauntlet", from Frankish (*)want "gauntlet."^[6]
loja = market, building where merchants and sellers gather: from Old French logo "dwelling, shelter", from Frankish (*)laubja "covering, enclosure", from Germanic (*)laubja "shelter" (implicit sense "roof made of bark"), from the IE root (*)leup- "to peel."
raspar [v] = to scrape, tear, shave: from Frankish *hraspōn, from Proto-Germanic *hraspōną, a derivative of Proto-Germanic *hrespaną (“to tear”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krebʰ- (“to turn; bend; shrink”). Related to Old High German raspōn (“to scrape together; rasp”), Middle Dutch raspen, Middle Low German raspen, Old English ġehrespan (“to plunder”).^[7] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%A2per
raspadinha = scratch card: same as above

German[]

acordeon = accordion from akkordeon
Báltico = baltic from Baltisch
benzina = benzine from benzin
burgomestre = from Bürgermeister
chic or chique = Chic from Schick
chope = draft beer from shoppen
chucrute = coleslaw from sauerkraut
cobalto = cobalt from Kobold
estilístico = stylistic from Stylistik
faustebol = faustball
caputar = broken
LSD (alucinogénio) = LSD from Lysergsäurediethylamid
metapsicológico, metapsicologi = metapsychology from Metapsychologie (S. Freud)
plancton = plancton from Plankton
poltergeist = poltergeist from Poltergeist
pragmatismo = pragmatism from Pragmatismus
propedêutico = from Propädeutik
protoplasma = protoplasm from Protoplasma
Quartzo = quartz from Quarz
Rösti (culinária) = rösti from Rösti (Swiss Swiss dish of grated potatoes formed into a small flat cake and fried)
sabre = sabre from Sabel
social-democrata = social democrat from Sozialdemokrat
valsa = waltz from Walzer, walzen
vampiro = vampire from Vampir
Vermouth or Vermute = vermouth from Vermut (drink)
Zinco = zinc from Zink

Latin words in Portuguese of Germanic origin[]

bisonte (from L bisont-,bison from Gmc, akin to OHG wisant, aurochs)
feudal (from Latin feodum, feudum of Gmc origin, akin to OE feoh, cattle, property)
filtro; filtrar = "filter; to filter" from ML filtrum felt from Gmc, akin to OE felt, felt
instalar (from ML installare from stallum of Gmc origin, akin to OHG stal, stall)
sabão = "soap" from Latin sapon-, sapo, soap from Gmc

Langobardic[]

palco = a balcony, balcony of a theater: from Italian palco, from Langobardic palk "scaffolding", from Germanic (*)balkōn "beam, crossbeam", see balcão below in Germanic section.

Middle Dutch[]

baluarte = bulwark: from Old French boloart "bulwark, rampart, terreplein converted to a boulevard", from Middle Dutch bolwerc "rampart",
amarrar = to moor a boat, to tie, to fasten: from French amarrer, "to moor", from Middle Dutch aanmarren "to fasten", from aan "on" (from Germanic (*)ana, (*)anō, from the IE root (*)an-[1]) + marren "to fasten, to moor a boat."

Derivatives: amarra 'mooring', amarração 'binding, strong emotional bond, emotional relationship, mooring', amarrado 'determined, obstinate, bound, moored', amarradura 'mooring place, knot or tool'

manequim = a mannequin, dummy, puppet: from French mannequin, from (probably via Catalan maniquí) Dutch manneken, mannekijn "little man", from Middle Dutch mannekijn, from man "a man" (see alemán below in Germanic section) + the diminutive suffix -ken, -kin, -kijn, from West Germanic (*)-kin (cf. Modern German -chen)
rumo = direction, course, route, pomp, ostentation: from Old Spanish rumbo "each of the 32 points on a compass", from Middle Dutch rume "space, place, rhumb line, storeroom of a ship", from Germanic rūmaz "space, place", from the IE root (*)reu- "space, to open".^[8]

Middle High German[]

Middle Low German[]

Old English[]

arlequim = harlequin: from Italian arlecchino, from Old French Herlequin "mythic chief of a tribe", probably from Middle English Herle king, from Old English Herla cyning, Herla Kyning literally King Herla, a king of Germanic mythology identified with Odin/Woden. Cyning "king" is from Germanic (*)kunjan "family" (hence, by extension royal family), from the IE root (*)gen- "to birth, regenerate".^[9]
bote = a small, uncovered boat: from Old French bot, from Middle English bot, boot, from Old English bāt, from Germanic (*)bait-, from the IE root (*)bheid- "to split".^[10]
caneco = jug: from Old English *can- derived from cunnan
caneca = mug: *see above 'can'
leste = east: from French est, from Middle English est, from Old English ēast, from Germanic (*)aust-, from the IE root (*)awes-, aus "to shine".^[11]
norte = north: from Old French nord, from Old English north, from Germanic (*)north-, from the IE root (*)nr-to "north", from (*)nr- "wikt:under, to the left" ^[12]
oeste = west: from Middle English west, from Old English west, from Germanic (*)west-, from (*)wes-to-, from (*)wes-, from (*)wespero- "evening, dusk" ^[13]
sul = south (combining form): from Old French sud "south", from Old English sūth, from Germanic (*)sunthaz, from the IE root (*)sun-, swen-, variants of (*)sāwel- "sun" ^[14]
sudeste = 'southeast' *see above sud+est
sudoeste = 'southwest' *see above sud+west

Old High German[]

agrafo = from French 'agrafe', from OHG chrapfo^[15]
agrafar [v] = from French 'agrafer', from OHG chrapfo^[15]
banca = bench: see banco= bench below
banco = bench: from Old High German banc "bench, board"
banco = bank: from French banque "bank", from Italian banca "bench, money changer's table", from Old High German banc, see banco= bench above
feltro = felt, from OHG 'filz'or Frankish 'filtir'^[16]^[17]
feltrar, enfeltrar [v] = to tangle or mat together, to turn smthg. into felt

Old Norse[]

bife = steak, beefsteak: from English beefsteak, from beef (ultimately from Latin bōs, bovis "cow", from the IE root (*)gwou- "ox, bull, cow" ^[18]) + steak, from Middle English steyke, from Old Norse steik "piece of meat cooked on a spit", from Germanic (*)stik-, see estaca below in the Germanic section.

Old Swedish[]

Visigothic[]

agasalhar [v] = from Visigothic *gasalja (partner, colleague)
agasalho = coat, warm clothes. From Visigothic *gasalja
broa = 'corn and rye bread' from Visigothic *brauth
esgrima = fencing, from Visigothic *skirmja (protection)
esmagar (v) = to smash, squeeze, crush or grind. From Suebian ^[19]*magōn 'stomach'
gabar (v) = to flatter, to bray, to boast, to brag about. From Suebian ^[20] *hurnjanan 'to blow a horn'
grampo = clamp, clip, cramp. From *kramp^[21]
grampear, grampar [v] = to clamp, to staple * same as above
grampa = clip, metal hook, clasp * same as above
carampão = cramp, clench * same as above
grampeador = stapler * same as above
gravar (v) = to carve, record, inscribe. From Suebian/OGrm ^[22] *graba 'graft'
gravura = engraving, etching. From *graba 'graft'
gravação= recording (voice/music/audiovisual). From *graba 'graft'
guarda = guard, bodyguard, protection: from Visigothic wardja "a guard", from Germanic wardaz, from the IE root (*)wor-to-, see guardar below in Germanic section.
guardião = guardian: from Visgothic wardjan accusative of wardja, see guardia above.
atacar (v) = to attack: Old Italian attaccare "to fasten, join, unite, attack (implicit sense: to join in a battle)", changed from (*)estacar (by influence of , common verbal prefix) "to fasten, join", from Visigothic stakka "a stick, stake", from Germanic (*)stak-, see estaca in Germanic section.
ataque = attack, raid. Same as above
faísca = spark, from Visigothic or Suebian *falwiskan. From medieval 'falisca', cognate of Swedish falaska, Mid-High German valwische (*falwiskō), Norse fọlski.
faiscar (v) = lightning, sparking. Same as above
fita = ribbon, tape. From Visigothic/Suebian^[23] *veta 'ribbon'
gavião = hawk, from Visigothic *gabila, akin to German Gabel 'fork'.
rapar (v) = to shave (hair): from Visigothic *

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