"capanga" meaning in All languages combined

See capanga on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Forms: capangas [plural]
Etymology: From Brazilian Portuguese capanga. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|pt-BR|capanga}} Brazilian Portuguese capanga Head templates: {{en-noun}} capanga (plural capangas)
  1. A thug or bodyguard in Brazil.
    Sense id: en-capanga-en-noun-Anf~Gwpv Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 3 entries, Pages with entries, Pages with 3 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of Pages with 3 entries: 59 37 1 3 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 59 37 1 3

Noun [Portuguese]

IPA: /kaˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/ [Brazil], /kaˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/ [Brazil], /kaˈpɐ̃.ɡa/ [Southern-Brazil], /kɐˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/ [Portugal] Forms: capangas [plural]
Etymology: Borrowed from Kimbundu kapanga (“armpit”), referencing individuals lazing about save occasional nixers. Etymology templates: {{bor+|pt|kmb|kapanga|t=armpit}} Borrowed from Kimbundu kapanga (“armpit”) Head templates: {{pt-noun|m}} capanga m (plural capangas)
  1. (Brazil) thug (a criminal hired to treat others violently or roughly) Tags: Brazil, masculine

Noun [Spanish]

Forms: capangas [plural]
Etymology: Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese capanga. Etymology templates: {{bor+|es|pt-BR|capanga}} Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese capanga Head templates: {{es-noun|m}} capanga m (plural capangas), {{tlb|es|slang|offensive}} (slang, offensive)
  1. (Rioplatense, Bolivia, rural Paraguay) boss, foreman Tags: Bolivia, Rioplatense, masculine, offensive, slang Categories (topical): People
    Sense id: en-capanga-es-noun-SMBJBvES Disambiguation of People: 47 53 Categories (other): Bolivian Spanish, Paraguayan Spanish, Rioplatense Spanish, Spanish nouns with irregular gender Disambiguation of Spanish nouns with irregular gender: 47 53
  2. (Rioplatense, Bolivia) bodyguard, goon Tags: Bolivia, Rioplatense, masculine, offensive, slang Categories (topical): People
    Sense id: en-capanga-es-noun-Ke8eCX5r Disambiguation of People: 47 53 Categories (other): Bolivian Spanish, Rioplatense Spanish, Spanish entries with incorrect language header, Spanish nouns with irregular gender Disambiguation of Spanish entries with incorrect language header: 35 65 Disambiguation of Spanish nouns with irregular gender: 47 53

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt-BR",
        "3": "capanga"
      },
      "expansion": "Brazilian Portuguese capanga",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Brazilian Portuguese capanga.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "capangas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "capanga (plural capangas)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 3 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 37 1 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 3 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 37 1 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              175,
              183
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1984, Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Helen R. Lane, The War of the End of the World, Folio Society, published 2012, page 208:",
          "text": "She saw six armed riders: she could tell, by the way they were dressed and by the clearly visible brand of the same hacienda on the flanks of all their horses, that they were capangas and not cangaceiros or Rural Police.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              129,
              136
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1986, Errol Lincoln Uys, Brazil, page 730:",
          "text": "He had never actually killed a man, though the peasants spoke of at least ten sent to their graves by Joazinho, a reputation the capanga did nothing to discourage.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              27,
              35
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2010, Nikolas Kozloff, No Rain in the Amazon, page 163:",
          "text": "Feared by the workers, the capangas intimidate laborers and driver off small farmers with bulldozers.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A thug or bodyguard in Brazil."
      ],
      "id": "en-capanga-en-noun-Anf~Gwpv",
      "links": [
        [
          "thug",
          "thug"
        ],
        [
          "bodyguard",
          "bodyguard"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "capanga"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "kmb",
        "3": "kapanga",
        "t": "armpit"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Kimbundu kapanga (“armpit”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Kimbundu kapanga (“armpit”), referencing individuals lazing about save occasional nixers.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "capangas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "capanga m (plural capangas)",
      "name": "pt-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "ca‧pan‧ga"
  ],
  "lang": "Portuguese",
  "lang_code": "pt",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Brazilian Portuguese",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 3 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Portuguese entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Portuguese nouns with irregular gender",
          "parents": [
            "Nouns with irregular gender",
            "Irregular nouns",
            "Nouns by inflection type",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              167,
              175
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2024 December 29, Jean Peixoto, “Esquartejado por ordem da namorada”, in Diário Gaúcho, Porto Alegre, page 11:",
          "text": "A investigação aponta que o crimen teria ocorrido em uma casa do bairro, onde há um ponto de tráfico. Suspeita-se que o namorado de presa teria sido morto a tiros por capangas a mando dela, por ciúmes.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "thug (a criminal hired to treat others violently or roughly)"
      ],
      "id": "en-capanga-pt-noun-BKMIF-3i",
      "links": [
        [
          "thug",
          "thug"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Brazil) thug (a criminal hired to treat others violently or roughly)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Brazil",
        "masculine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈpɐ̃.ɡa/",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kɐˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/",
      "tags": [
        "Portugal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "capanga"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "pt-BR",
        "3": "capanga"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese capanga",
      "name": "bor+"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese capanga.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "capangas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "capanga m (plural capangas)",
      "name": "es-noun"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "slang",
        "3": "offensive"
      },
      "expansion": "(slang, offensive)",
      "name": "tlb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Spanish",
  "lang_code": "es",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Bolivian Spanish",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Paraguayan Spanish",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Rioplatense Spanish",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Spanish nouns with irregular gender",
          "parents": [
            "Nouns with irregular gender",
            "Irregular nouns",
            "Nouns by inflection type",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "es",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "es:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "boss, foreman"
      ],
      "id": "en-capanga-es-noun-SMBJBvES",
      "links": [
        [
          "boss",
          "boss"
        ],
        [
          "foreman",
          "foreman"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "rural Paraguay",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Rioplatense, Bolivia, rural Paraguay) boss, foreman"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Bolivia",
        "Rioplatense",
        "masculine",
        "offensive",
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Bolivian Spanish",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Rioplatense Spanish",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 65",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Spanish entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Spanish nouns with irregular gender",
          "parents": [
            "Nouns with irregular gender",
            "Irregular nouns",
            "Nouns by inflection type",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "es",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "es:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "bodyguard, goon"
      ],
      "id": "en-capanga-es-noun-Ke8eCX5r",
      "links": [
        [
          "bodyguard",
          "bodyguard"
        ],
        [
          "goon",
          "goon"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Rioplatense, Bolivia) bodyguard, goon"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Bolivia",
        "Rioplatense",
        "masculine",
        "offensive",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "capanga"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "es:People"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt-BR",
        "3": "capanga"
      },
      "expansion": "Brazilian Portuguese capanga",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Brazilian Portuguese capanga.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "capangas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "capanga (plural capangas)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese",
        "English terms derived from Brazilian Portuguese",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 3 entries",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              175,
              183
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1984, Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Helen R. Lane, The War of the End of the World, Folio Society, published 2012, page 208:",
          "text": "She saw six armed riders: she could tell, by the way they were dressed and by the clearly visible brand of the same hacienda on the flanks of all their horses, that they were capangas and not cangaceiros or Rural Police.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              129,
              136
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1986, Errol Lincoln Uys, Brazil, page 730:",
          "text": "He had never actually killed a man, though the peasants spoke of at least ten sent to their graves by Joazinho, a reputation the capanga did nothing to discourage.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              27,
              35
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2010, Nikolas Kozloff, No Rain in the Amazon, page 163:",
          "text": "Feared by the workers, the capangas intimidate laborers and driver off small farmers with bulldozers.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A thug or bodyguard in Brazil."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "thug",
          "thug"
        ],
        [
          "bodyguard",
          "bodyguard"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "capanga"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "es:People"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pt",
        "2": "kmb",
        "3": "kapanga",
        "t": "armpit"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Kimbundu kapanga (“armpit”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Kimbundu kapanga (“armpit”), referencing individuals lazing about save occasional nixers.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "capangas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "capanga m (plural capangas)",
      "name": "pt-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "ca‧pan‧ga"
  ],
  "lang": "Portuguese",
  "lang_code": "pt",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Brazilian Portuguese",
        "Pages with 3 entries",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Portuguese 3-syllable words",
        "Portuguese countable nouns",
        "Portuguese entries with incorrect language header",
        "Portuguese lemmas",
        "Portuguese masculine nouns",
        "Portuguese nouns",
        "Portuguese nouns with irregular gender",
        "Portuguese terms borrowed from Kimbundu",
        "Portuguese terms derived from Kimbundu",
        "Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "Portuguese terms with quotations",
        "Requests for translations of Portuguese quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              167,
              175
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2024 December 29, Jean Peixoto, “Esquartejado por ordem da namorada”, in Diário Gaúcho, Porto Alegre, page 11:",
          "text": "A investigação aponta que o crimen teria ocorrido em uma casa do bairro, onde há um ponto de tráfico. Suspeita-se que o namorado de presa teria sido morto a tiros por capangas a mando dela, por ciúmes.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "thug (a criminal hired to treat others violently or roughly)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "thug",
          "thug"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Brazil) thug (a criminal hired to treat others violently or roughly)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Brazil",
        "masculine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈpɐ̃.ɡa/",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-Brazil"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kɐˈpɐ̃.ɡɐ/",
      "tags": [
        "Portugal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "capanga"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Spanish countable nouns",
    "Spanish entries with incorrect language header",
    "Spanish lemmas",
    "Spanish masculine nouns",
    "Spanish nouns",
    "Spanish nouns with irregular gender",
    "Spanish offensive terms",
    "Spanish slang",
    "Spanish terms borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese",
    "Spanish terms derived from Brazilian Portuguese",
    "es:People"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "pt-BR",
        "3": "capanga"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese capanga",
      "name": "bor+"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese capanga.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "capangas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "capanga m (plural capangas)",
      "name": "es-noun"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "slang",
        "3": "offensive"
      },
      "expansion": "(slang, offensive)",
      "name": "tlb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Spanish",
  "lang_code": "es",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Bolivian Spanish",
        "Paraguayan Spanish",
        "Rioplatense Spanish",
        "Spanish rustic terms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "boss, foreman"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "boss",
          "boss"
        ],
        [
          "foreman",
          "foreman"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "rural Paraguay",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Rioplatense, Bolivia, rural Paraguay) boss, foreman"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Bolivia",
        "Rioplatense",
        "masculine",
        "offensive",
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Bolivian Spanish",
        "Rioplatense Spanish"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "bodyguard, goon"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "bodyguard",
          "bodyguard"
        ],
        [
          "goon",
          "goon"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Rioplatense, Bolivia) bodyguard, goon"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Bolivia",
        "Rioplatense",
        "masculine",
        "offensive",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "capanga"
}

Download raw JSONL data for capanga meaning in All languages combined (5.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-04-29 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-04-20 using wiktextract (4eaa824 and ea19a0a). 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.