"sertão" meaning in All languages combined

See sertão on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Forms: sertãos [plural], sertões [plural]
Etymology: Borrowed from Portuguese sertão. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|pt|sertão}} Portuguese sertão Head templates: {{en-noun|s|sertões}} sertão (plural sertãos or sertões)
  1. (geography) The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil.
    Sense id: en-sertão-en-noun-1kxNiBVC Categories (other): Geography, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 96 4 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 34 2 26 11 27 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 32 1 27 11 28 Topics: geography, natural-sciences
  2. (loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country. Tags: broadly
    Sense id: en-sertão-en-noun-EtjxoiIZ

Noun [Portuguese]

IPA: /seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/ [Brazil], [sehˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃] [Brazil], /seɾˈtɐ̃w̃/ [São-Paulo], [seɾˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃] [São-Paulo], /seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/ [Rio-de-Janeiro], [seχˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃] [Rio-de-Janeiro], /seɻˈtɐ̃w̃/ [Caipira], [seɻˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃] [Caipira], /sɨɾˈtɐ̃w̃/ [Portugal] Forms: sertões [plural], certão [alternative, obsolete], sertam [alternative, obsolete]
Rhymes: -ɐ̃w̃ Etymology: Uncertain, possible shortening of desertão (“big desert”) (which is from deserto + -ão). Alternatively, possibly from Latin sertānus. Another hypothesis suggests borrowing from Kimbundu muxitu or muchitum, first adapted into Portuguese as "muceltão" and later evolving into its modern form Etymology templates: {{unc|pt}} Uncertain, {{suffix|pt|deserto|ão|nocat=1}} deserto + -ão, {{cog|la|sertānus}} Latin sertānus, {{bor|pt|kmb|muxitu}} Kimbundu muxitu Head templates: {{pt-noun|m|~}} sertão m (countable and uncountable, plural sertões)
  1. (geography)
    The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil.
    Tags: countable, masculine, uncountable
    Sense id: en-sertão-pt-noun-1kxNiBVC Categories (other): Geography, Pages with entries, Portuguese entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 32 1 27 11 28 Disambiguation of Portuguese entries with incorrect language header: 37 24 39 Topics: geography, natural-sciences
  2. (geography)
    (loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country.
    Tags: broadly, countable, masculine, uncountable
    Sense id: en-sertão-pt-noun-EtjxoiIZ Categories (other): Geography, Pages with entries, Portuguese entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 32 1 27 11 28 Disambiguation of Portuguese entries with incorrect language header: 37 24 39 Topics: geography, natural-sciences
  3. (Brazil) countryside, backlands or outback Tags: Brazil, countable, masculine, uncountable
    Sense id: en-sertão-pt-noun-exUxYpYR Categories (other): Brazilian Portuguese, Pages with entries, Portuguese entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 32 1 27 11 28 Disambiguation of Portuguese entries with incorrect language header: 37 24 39
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: sertanejo, sertanista, Sertão, Sertão Santana, Sertãozinho

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt",
        "3": "sertão"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese sertão",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Portuguese sertão.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sertãos",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sertões",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s",
        "2": "sertões"
      },
      "expansion": "sertão (plural sertãos or sertões)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Geography",
          "orig": "en:Geography",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "96 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "34 2 26 11 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 2 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 1 27 11 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              36,
              42
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1984, Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Helen R. Lane, The War of the End of the World, Folio Society, published 2012, page 58:",
          "text": "The news soon spread throughout the sertão: the saint who had wandered the length and breadth of the land for a quarter of a century had put down roots in that place surrounded by stony hills called Canudos […].",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "id": "en-sertão-en-noun-1kxNiBVC",
      "links": [
        [
          "geography",
          "geography"
        ],
        [
          "inland",
          "inland"
        ],
        [
          "Brazil",
          "Brazil"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(geography) The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "geography",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "id": "en-sertão-en-noun-EtjxoiIZ",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "sertão"
}

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "sertanejo"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "sertanista"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Sertão"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Sertão Santana"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Sertãozinho"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain",
      "name": "unc"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "deserto",
        "3": "ão",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "deserto + -ão",
      "name": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "sertānus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sertānus",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "kmb",
        "3": "muxitu"
      },
      "expansion": "Kimbundu muxitu",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Uncertain, possible shortening of desertão (“big desert”) (which is from deserto + -ão). Alternatively, possibly from Latin sertānus. Another hypothesis suggests borrowing from Kimbundu muxitu or muchitum, first adapted into Portuguese as \"muceltão\" and later evolving into its modern form",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sertões",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "certão",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "obsolete"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sertam",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "obsolete"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m",
        "2": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "sertão m (countable and uncountable, plural sertões)",
      "name": "pt-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenations": [
    {
      "parts": [
        "ser",
        "tão"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Portuguese",
  "lang_code": "pt",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "pt",
          "name": "Geography",
          "orig": "pt:Geography",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 1 27 11 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 24 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Portuguese entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "id": "en-sertão-pt-noun-1kxNiBVC",
      "links": [
        [
          "geography",
          "geography"
        ],
        [
          "inland",
          "inland"
        ],
        [
          "Brazil",
          "Brazil"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(geography)",
        "The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "masculine",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "geography",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "pt",
          "name": "Geography",
          "orig": "pt:Geography",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 1 27 11 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 24 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Portuguese entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "id": "en-sertão-pt-noun-EtjxoiIZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "geography",
          "geography"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(geography)",
        "(loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "countable",
        "masculine",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "geography",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Brazilian Portuguese",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 1 27 11 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "37 24 39",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Portuguese entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "countryside, backlands or outback"
      ],
      "id": "en-sertão-pt-noun-exUxYpYR",
      "links": [
        [
          "countryside",
          "countryside#English"
        ],
        [
          "backlands",
          "backlands#English"
        ],
        [
          "outback",
          "outback#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Brazil) countryside, backlands or outback"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Brazil",
        "countable",
        "masculine",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[sehˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/seɾˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "São-Paulo"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[seɾˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "São-Paulo"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Rio-de-Janeiro"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[seχˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "Rio-de-Janeiro"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/seɻˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Caipira"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[seɻˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "Caipira"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/sɨɾˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Portugal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɐ̃w̃"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sertão"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Portuguese",
    "English terms derived from Portuguese",
    "English terms spelled with Ã",
    "English terms spelled with ◌̃",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt",
        "3": "sertão"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese sertão",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Portuguese sertão.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sertãos",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sertões",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s",
        "2": "sertões"
      },
      "expansion": "sertão (plural sertãos or sertões)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Geography"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              36,
              42
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1984, Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Helen R. Lane, The War of the End of the World, Folio Society, published 2012, page 58:",
          "text": "The news soon spread throughout the sertão: the saint who had wandered the length and breadth of the land for a quarter of a century had put down roots in that place surrounded by stony hills called Canudos […].",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "geography",
          "geography"
        ],
        [
          "inland",
          "inland"
        ],
        [
          "Brazil",
          "Brazil"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(geography) The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "geography",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "sertão"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Portuguese 2-syllable words",
    "Portuguese countable nouns",
    "Portuguese entries with incorrect language header",
    "Portuguese lemmas",
    "Portuguese masculine nouns",
    "Portuguese nouns",
    "Portuguese terms borrowed from Kimbundu",
    "Portuguese terms derived from Kimbundu",
    "Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "Portuguese terms with unknown etymologies",
    "Portuguese uncountable nouns",
    "Rhymes:Portuguese/ɐ̃w̃",
    "Rhymes:Portuguese/ɐ̃w̃/2 syllables"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "sertanejo"
    },
    {
      "word": "sertanista"
    },
    {
      "word": "Sertão"
    },
    {
      "word": "Sertão Santana"
    },
    {
      "word": "Sertãozinho"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain",
      "name": "unc"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "deserto",
        "3": "ão",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "deserto + -ão",
      "name": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "sertānus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sertānus",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "kmb",
        "3": "muxitu"
      },
      "expansion": "Kimbundu muxitu",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Uncertain, possible shortening of desertão (“big desert”) (which is from deserto + -ão). Alternatively, possibly from Latin sertānus. Another hypothesis suggests borrowing from Kimbundu muxitu or muchitum, first adapted into Portuguese as \"muceltão\" and later evolving into its modern form",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sertões",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "certão",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "obsolete"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sertam",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "obsolete"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m",
        "2": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "sertão m (countable and uncountable, plural sertões)",
      "name": "pt-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenations": [
    {
      "parts": [
        "ser",
        "tão"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Portuguese",
  "lang_code": "pt",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "pt:Geography"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "geography",
          "geography"
        ],
        [
          "inland",
          "inland"
        ],
        [
          "Brazil",
          "Brazil"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(geography)",
        "The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "masculine",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "geography",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "pt:Geography"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "geography",
          "geography"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(geography)",
        "(loosely) A similarly arid area in another region or country."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "countable",
        "masculine",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "geography",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Brazilian Portuguese"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "countryside, backlands or outback"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "countryside",
          "countryside#English"
        ],
        [
          "backlands",
          "backlands#English"
        ],
        [
          "outback",
          "outback#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Brazil) countryside, backlands or outback"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Brazil",
        "countable",
        "masculine",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[sehˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/seɾˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "São-Paulo"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[seɾˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "São-Paulo"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Rio-de-Janeiro"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[seχˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "Rio-de-Janeiro"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/seɻˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Caipira"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[seɻˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]",
      "tags": [
        "Caipira"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/sɨɾˈtɐ̃w̃/",
      "tags": [
        "Portugal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɐ̃w̃"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sertão"
}

Download raw JSONL data for sertão meaning in All languages combined (5.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-08-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-08-05 using wiktextract (872fc7b and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.