25 English Words You Didn't Know Came from Portuguese

You probably know that English borrowed words from French, Latin, and Greek. But Portuguese? This small Atlantic language has contributed more words to English than you'd expect—many of them common everyday terms with fascinating histories.

How Portuguese Words Entered English

Portuguese words reached English through several channels:

1. Trade contacts (15th-19th centuries) 2. Colonial encounters in India, Africa, and Asia 3. Scientific exploration and naming 4. The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance (since 1373)

Let's explore 25 words that traveled from Portuguese to English:

Animals & Nature

1. Cobra Portuguese: cobra de capelo (snake with hood) Story: Portuguese explorers in India shortened the phrase. Ironically, "cobra" just means "snake" in Portuguese—so English borrowed a generic word as a specific name.

2. Albatross Portuguese: alcatraz (pelican), from Arabic al-qādūs Story: Portuguese sailors named large seabirds they encountered. The word evolved in English to specifically mean the wandering albatross family.

3. Flamingo Portuguese: flamengo, from Latin flamma (flame) Story: The bird's bright pink color reminded Portuguese explorers of flames.

4. Zebra Portuguese: zebra (originally a wild ass from Iberia) Story: Portuguese applied this name to the striped African horses they discovered.

5. Dodo Portuguese: doudo/doido (crazy, stupid) Story: The extinct Mauritius bird showed no fear of humans. Portuguese sailors thought it was foolish.

6. Piranha Portuguese: from Tupi pirá (fish) + anha (tooth) Story: Portuguese colonizers in Brazil adopted this indigenous word and spread it globally.

7. Jaguar Portuguese: jaguar, from Tupi jaguara Story: Another Brazilian indigenous word that entered English via Portuguese.

Food & Drink

8. Marmalade Portuguese: marmelada, from marmelo (quince) Story: Original marmalade was quince paste, not orange jam. The British changed the fruit but kept the Portuguese name.

9. Molasses Portuguese: melaço, from Latin mel (honey) Story: Portugal's sugar trade spread this word along with the sweetener.

10. Cashew Portuguese: caju, from Tupi acajú Story: Portuguese discovered cashews in Brazil and spread both nut and name worldwide.

11. Tapioca Portuguese: from Tupi tipi'óka Story: Another Brazilian food word that Portuguese carried to their other colonies.

Concepts & Society

12. Caste Portuguese: casta (breed, race, lineage) Story: Portuguese in India used this word to describe Hindu social stratification. It became the international term.

13. Fetish Portuguese: feitiço (charm, spell, sorcery) Story: Portuguese traders in West Africa used this for religious objects. It later came to mean an object of irrational devotion.

14. Embarrass Portuguese: embaraçar (to tangle, complicate) Story: Unlike Spanish embarazar (to make pregnant), Portuguese kept the original meaning of confusion, which English borrowed.

15. Palaver Portuguese: palavra (word) Story: In African trade contexts, lengthy negotiations were called "palavras." English borrowed it to mean idle talk or fuss.

16. Commando Portuguese: comando, originally from Dutch Story: The word traveled through Afrikaans during the Boer Wars but has Portuguese roots.

Household & Objects

17. Tank Portuguese: tanque, from Indian tanka (reservoir) Story: Portuguese brought this word from India. It later became the name for armored vehicles.

18. Veranda Portuguese: varanda, possibly from Hindi baranda Story: Portuguese spread this architectural term from India throughout their colonies and to Europe.

19. Parasol Portuguese/Italian: parassol (para + sol = stop + sun) Story: A compound word for sun-blocking umbrella that entered English through trade.

Nautical & Geographic

20. Typhoon Portuguese: tufão, combining Arabic tūfān and Chinese 大風 (dàfēng) Story: Portuguese sailors transmitted this word between Asian and European languages.

21. Junk (ship) Portuguese: junco, from Malay/Javanese jong Story: The name for Chinese sailing vessels spread through Portuguese maritime networks.

22. Savanna Portuguese: savana, from Taíno zabana Story: Portuguese encountered this landscape type in the Caribbean and spread the word.

Miscellaneous

23. Mosquito Portuguese/Spanish: mosquito (little fly) Story: A diminutive of mosca (fly) that became the standard English term.

24. Lingo Portuguese: língua (tongue, language) Story: Probably picked up by English sailors in Portuguese ports.

25. Banana Portuguese: banana, from West African languages (possibly Wolof) Story: Portuguese traders spread both the fruit and its name around the world.

Patterns in Portuguese Loanwords

Looking at these words reveals patterns:

From Exploration Animal and plant names came from Portuguese encounters with species unknown in Europe (cobra, jaguar, piranha, cashew).

From Trade Commercial terms reflect Portuguese dominance in early global trade (molasses, tank, marmalade).

From Colonial Contact Words for social and religious concepts came from Portuguese colonizers trying to describe non-European societies (caste, fetish).

From Maritime Culture Nautical terms spread through Portuguese sailing networks (typhoon, junk).

Words That Traveled Further

Some Portuguese words reached English indirectly:

• Mandarin (Chinese official): Malay → Portuguese → English
• Pagoda: Possibly Persian → Portuguese → English
• Auto-da-fé: Remained as a Portuguese phrase in English

The Living Legacy

These borrowings remind us that language is history. Every time you:

• Call a snake a "cobra"
• Spread "marmalade" on toast
• Worry about "mosquitos"
• Feel "embarrassed"
• Use the word "caste"

...you're speaking Portuguese.

The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, the Age of Exploration, and centuries of trade left permanent marks on English. Portuguese may be a small language, but its influence reaches further than most people realize.

Next time you encounter one of these words, remember: you're touching a piece of Portuguese history.