caralho
Galician
References
- “caralho” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).
Portuguese
Etymology
The etymology is uncertain, but the most plausible source on the basis of both semantics and historical phonology appears to be unattested Vulgar Latin *c(h)araculum, which would have been a Latinized diminutive of Ancient Greek χάραξ (khárax, “stick”).
Another possibility is Late Latin cassus or its diminutive, carassus (“empty”), eventually used to describe a crow's nest on a ship.
Certain cognates include Spanish carajo, Galician carallo and Catalan carall. Attempts to attribute Italian same-meaning cazzo to the same etymon fail on phonological grounds, as the /r/ of carajo (or its absence in cazzo) remains unexplained, and no Latin phonological sequence develops as both /x/ in Spanish and /tts/ in Italian.
Doublet of carago.
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /kaˈɾa.ʎu/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /kaˈɾa.ʎo/
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /kɐˈɾa.ʎu/
Audio (Oporto, Portugal) (file) Audio (USA) (file) - Rhymes: -aʎu
- Hyphenation: ca‧ra‧lho
Noun
caralho m (plural caralhos)