chuva

chuva filo-filo

chuva fino-fino

light rain (literally, “very thin rain”)

chuva pedra

Nunca costumado têm chuva Otubro


home

From Portuguese home, denasalized variant of homem.

home-home di hoze


chá

Borrowed from Cantonese 茶 (caa⁴), uncertain whether via Portuguese or later lent to Portuguese.

chá co sucre

vazâ chá

Dâ unga xicra di chá pa iou


caixa

From Portuguese caixa (“box”). Unusually, de-diphthongization did not take place (compare caxám, Spanish caja).


porco

Presumably from Portuguese porco, from Old Galician-Portuguese porco, from Latin porcus, from Proto-Italic *porkos, from Proto-Indo-European *pórḱos (“young swine, young pig”).

der

ramendâ unga porco

porco balichám tamarinho

Macanese dish prepared with pork, tamarind and balichám (dried shrimp paste)

porco chau-chau parida

special pork stew served to woman after giving birth (literally, “pork stir-fry birthed”)


sora

Clipping of Portuguese professora, feminine form of professor.

Sora, ele sempre chubí eu!

Sora, êle dáli eu!


oficina

Presumably from Portuguese oficina, although probably influenced by English office.

tifinâ na oficina

to have lunch at (one's desk at) the office

office (a room used for non-manual work)


vaca

From Portuguese vaca, from Old Galician-Portuguese vaca, from Latin vacca.

unga nhônha bem di vaca

ela assí vaca


china

a Chinese person, especially from mainland China


filo

filo-di-quim

filo-grándi

filo trás di porta


filo

chuva filo-filo


cadera

From Portuguese cadeira, from Old Galician-Portuguese cadeira, from Vulgar Latin *cathēgra, variant of Latin cathedra, from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra), from κατά (katá, “above”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “chair”).

dói cadera

(to have) lower back pain; kidney pain; pain in the buttocks

(anatomy) lumbar region (the back at the kidney level)


achar

From Malay acar, from Classical Malay اچر (acar), from Classical Persian آچار (āčār, “pickle, marinade”). Compare Indonesian acar. Etymologically unrelated to Portuguese achar or its Macanese descendant achâ.

comê achar

achar (preserve or pickle, made of spring onions, cabbage, coconut, apple, pear, etc. in vinegar and salt, (formerly) eaten as an appetizer or a street food using toothpicks)


letrado

From Old Galician-Portuguese leterado, possibly with semantic influence from Spanish letrado.


festa

missa festa


nina

From Portuguese nina, clipping of menina. Possibly a doublet of nhim.


sopa

From Portuguese sopa, from Late Latin suppa (“sopped bread”), from Proto-Germanic *supô.

sopa encorpado

sópa lacassá


chupa

Borrowed from Malay cupak (pronounced /t͡ʃupaʔ/). First documented in the Ou-Mun Kei Leok published in 1751.

wooden or bamboo cylinder, closed at one end, formerly used to measure dry goods such as rice or beans, as well as liquids like milk


pintura

From Old Galician-Portuguese pintura, from Vulgar Latin *pinctūra, from Latin pictūra. Sense 4 possibly a semantic loan from Cantonese 畫 /画 (compare Chinese 上畫 /上画 (shànghuà, “(of a movie) to release on screen”, literally “up painting”)), and both senses 3 and 4 may have been influenced by English picture.

cog

Ondi vas já vai gafinhâ estunga pintura?

olâ pintura


tacho

chacháu pêle (Macanese stew made with puffed dried pork skin)


bazar

Presumably from Portuguese bazar (“bazaar”), from Italian bazar, from Persian بازار (bâzâr, “market”), from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (wʾčʾl /wāzār/, “market”).

der

vai bazar comprâ sôm


paga

From Old Galician-Portuguese paga. Compare Galician paga (“payment; salary”).

quelóra recebê paga

when getting paid (literally, “when receiving the salary”)

Êle têm bôm paga


bife

From Portuguese bife, from English beef, from Old French buef, from Latin bovem (“ox”).


onte

Ultimately from Old Galician-Portuguese onte, probably via an earlier non-nasalized form of Portuguese ontem. Compare Kabuverdianu ónti.


sós

Probably borrowed from English sauce, ultimately from French sauce. Compare Malay sos.


mám

From Portuguese mão, with influence from Cantonese 手 (sau²).

pê-mám

mám-fichado

miserly, tight-fisted (literally, “hand closed”)

mám tánto

person who interferes with things that are not their responsibility (literally, “much hand”)

mám cumprido

thief; sticky-fingered, prone to stealing (literally, “long hand”)

mám di fada

nimble-fingered (literally, “hand of fairy”)

mám pa trás

idle-handed; lazy person (literally, “hand at back”)

pegâ mám andâ rua

cai pê-mám

to lose one's temper; to become disoriented (literally, “to fall feet-hands”)

mám-lárgo

mám-macaco

mám-fêde

someone with a dirty mind (literally, “stinky hand”)

mám-cutí

pê-mám


cafre

Presumably from Portuguese cafre, from Arabic كَافِر (kāfir, “infidel”).


cafre

mui cafre


oclo

From Portuguese óculo, from Latin oculus (“eye”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃okʷ-. Doublet of ôlo.

Iou nôm sabe úndi já rafundí iou-sua ôclo


bóca

From Portuguese boca, with many idiomatic uses being calques of Cantonese 口 (hau²) or 嘴 (zeoi²).

bóca aberto

bóca dóci

sweet-talker, somebody who has an affected manner of speech (literally, “sweet mouth”)

bóca cherâ lete

someone who still has a lot to learn in life (literally, “mouth smell milk”)

bóca sujo

swearer, person who swears a lot (literally, “smelly mouth”)

bóca-torto


caréta

Merger of Portuguese careta (sense 3) and carreta. Senses 1 and 2 are a semantic loan from Cantonese 車 /车 (ce¹), although influence from Portuguese carro also possible.

caréta dôdo

careta di suzo

cart formerly used to collect excrement (literally, “cart of excrement”)

pussâ carêta

sentâ caréta

to go by vehicle (as opposed to on foot)

Unga careta já choncâ na otrunga

fazê caréta

to grimace (literally, “to make grimace(s)”)


babá

Possibly of onomatopoeic origin. Most likely unrelated to Cantonese 爸爸 (baa⁴ baa¹, “dad”).


sium

Possibly from an Afro-Portuguese variant of Portuguese senhor, reduced to *siô, with nasalization taking place by analogy of nhum. Doublet of nhum, via an older form nhom.

Sium Capitám


nhi

Nhi Pancha, passá bem?


canje

Presumably from Portuguese canja, from Malayalam കഞ്ഞി (kaññi). Semantically, possibly influenced by English congee (especially sense 2), ultimately also from the Malayalam source.


friza

freezer (appliance or section of a refrigerator used to store food or other perishable items at temperatures below 0° Celsius)


pê

From Portuguese pé, with influence from Cantonese 腳 /脚 (goek³).

pê marado

pê solto

cai pê-mám

to lose one's temper; to get disoriented (literally, “to fall feet and hands”)

chá di pêlo-pê

infusion to ward off frights (literally, “hair-feet tea”)


jinela

nhonha na jinela


amôr

Olá bem-fêto qualunga / Más tánto amô mer'cê.

Look well to see which of them / Is most worthy of love.


botelha

From Portuguese botelha, from French bouteille.


cafelo

From dialectal Portuguese cafelo (“first plaster or mortar on a wall”).


bói

Borrowed from English boy. Semantically unrelated to Portuguese boy.

Chomâ bói trazê café co lête

Ask the waiter to bring coffee with milk


cúli

Most likely from English coolie, from Hindustani क़ुली / قلی (qulī, “hired laborer”), possibly from Ottoman Turkish قول (kul, “servant”).

cabéça-di-cúli

stevedore at the docks and markets responsible for a team of coolies; head of coolies

Chomâ quanto cúli para cartá tudo ancuza

Call for a few coolies to carry everything


lacassá

sópa lacassá


lete

bebinca di lete

café co lête

china di lête


sapeca

Apparently Malay sa (“one”) + Malay paku (“thread of one hundred pichi coins”). Originally described a round coppern coin (hence sense 2), with a square hole in the centre, formerly used in China. Term formerly used jocularly to imitate Macanese, however is now the most common term to refer to money, this development possibly being a (relatively old) semantic loan from Cantonese 錢 /钱. Compare French sapèque, from the same Malay origin.

com

Iou nôm têm sapeca


bebinca

Unclear. Possibly from Konkani [script needed] (bibik), or borrowed from Malay bingka (“Malay cake made of rice flour, coconut cream, eggs and sugar”), entering Macanese via Indo-Portuguese with reduplication of the first syllable. Likely not related to Portuguese beber (“to drink”). Compare Tagalog bibingka, Cebuano bibingka, Hiligaynon bibingka, Spanish vivinca.

bor+

bebinca di lete

bebinca di nabo, bebinca-rábano

bebinca-pulú


fan-tan

Borrowed from Cantonese 番攤 /番摊 (faan¹ taan¹, literally “repeated divisions”); see English entry.


águ

Vai rua, pussá bafado, / Bebê águ di Lilau.

1983, José dos Santos Ferreira, Poéma di Macau: poesia e prosa, dialecto macaense:

Going on the street, too tired even to breathe, / Drink the water of Lilau.


mulé

From Portuguese mulher. Compare Kristang mulé.


nhonha

Possibly from Portuguese dona or Malay nyonya or Portuguese senhora. See also Spanish doña (“lady”) and Hokkien 娘惹 (nō͘-niâ) & 娘仔 (niô͘-á, “young lady”).

Coordinate term: nhum

Nhonha canta.


amui

head

amui (plural amui-amui, diminutive amuichai)

amui-amui (plural)
amuichai (diminutive)

Borrowed from Cantonese 阿妹 (aa3 mui6-2, aa3 mui6-1).

Amui corrê vem gudam.

girl, specifically an unmarried Chinese girl from a humble background


nhum

From Portuguese senhor, via an older nhom, which seems to have been an abbreviation arisen from Afro-Portuguese. Compare Portuguese nhô, Kabuverdianu nho, nhu. Doublet of sium.

Nhum nunca-sam di aqui.


atâi

Atâi corrê vem gudam.


carí

Ultimately from Tamil கறி (kaṟi), with the L-less form most likely via Malay or Indonesian kari.

carí di móro


siao

Borrowed from Cantonese 豉油 (si⁶ jau⁴, si⁶ jau⁴⁻²).


cális

From Old Galician-Portuguese calez /caliz, from Latin calicem. Compare Portuguese cálice.

Tóne tâ bebê unga cáliz di vinho-Porto.
Tóne is drinking a glass of port.


fólia

From Portuguese folha. Sense 3 likely a semantic loan from Cantonese 葉 /叶 (jip⁶, “leaf”) and 頁 /页 (jip⁶, “page”), although emergence of sense 4 probably not related to Cantonese.

semantic loan

botâ na fólia

Já sai na fólia


xicra

From Portuguese xícara, from Spanish jícara, ultimately from Classical Nahuatl xīcalli.

Dâ unga xicra di chá pa iou


mainato

Borrowed from Malayalam [script needed] (mannattan), most likely via Indo-Portuguese.

bor+

levâ rópa-rópa pa mainato

laundry (a place or room where laundering is done)


bolacho

From a theoretical masculine form of Portuguese bolacha (“biscuit; slap”).

bolacho-soda


minchi

Borrowed from Cantonese 免治 (min⁵ zi⁶), itself from English mince. Alternatively, from Japanese ミンチ (minchi) (also presumably from the English term), although this is less likely.

traditional Macanese dish made with minced pork or beef and fried with onion and other condiments


bâs

Borrowed from English bus. Compare Malay bas.

sentâ bâs

Tudo dia sentâ bâs vai comprâ sôm.

I take the bus every day to go buy groceries.


arôz chauchau

/aˈɾos t͡ʃɐwˌt͡ʃɐw/

/aˈɾoʃ t͡ʃɐwˌt͡ʃɐw/


vêlo-công

Estung'a velo-công ui-di boca brejero!


bôlo nata

pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart)


leong-fan

Borrowed from Cantonese 涼粉 /凉粉 (loeng⁴ fan²).


leongfanêro

Chinese diver who collects oysters from the muddy waters of Macau and cracks them open


pâm

torâ pâm

pâm-di-casa

a very light, sweet bread, usually made at home (literally, “home bread”)

nôvo-nôvo, pâm co ovo

a new broom sweeps clean (literally, “very new, bread with egg”)


santám

Borrowed from Malay santan, from Old Javanese santĕn (“coconut milk”), from Sanskrit सार (sāra, “essence”).

chau-cháu co santám


chau-cháu

Reduplication of Cantonese 炒 (caau², “to stir-fry”). Compare Chinese Pidgin English chow-chow.

chau-chau pêle

said stew made with pêle (puffed dried pork skin), pork, chinese sausages and cabbage


quachí

seeds, especially watermelon seeds consumed as a snack


min-pau

Borrowed from Cantonese 麵包 /面包 (min⁶ baau¹).

min-pau quente-quente


amuichai

amui + Cantonese 仔 (zai², “diminutive suffix”) and/or Cantonese 阿 (aa³, “familiar prefix”) + Cantonese 妹仔 (mui⁶⁻¹ zai², “maid”).


apó

apó cartâ águ

elderly Chinese woman of humble background


fóquei

Borrowed from Cantonese 夥記 /伙记 (fo² gei³). Alternative form likely derives from the same source as English foki.


siára

head

siára (plural siára-siára, masculine sium)

From Portuguese senhora, apparently influenced by Afro-Portuguese and/or Kristang.


bôlo batê-pau

batê-pau derives from the motion traditionally used to make mooncakes - by hitting (batê) a wooden stick (pau) on the table, the stick being the traditional wooden mooncake mold.

Bôlo batê-pau sâm dóci.


sutate

Apparently of Japanese origin. If so, likely borrowed from Japanese すったて (suttate), a dish from Shirakawa prepared by mixing stone-ground soybeans with a miso and soy-sauce-based broth.

minchi burifado co sutate


onte-onte

day before yesterday
day before yesterday


antezonte

Univerbation of Portuguese antes (“before”) + onte, literally “before yesterday”.


amanhâm

Êle falâ amanhâm vai Hotê Lisboa dále dôs mám.

He said that tomorrow he’ll be going to Hotel Lisboa to gamble.


amanhâm

Qui saiám! Amanhâm têm festâ mas iou nôm pódi vai.

What a pity! There’ll be a party tomorrow but I can’t go.


estrica

Ultimately from Dutch strijkijzer, likely via Indonesian setrika and/or Malay seterika.


chiripo

Apparently from Tamil, Malayalam [script needed] (cherripu), possibly via Malay or Indo-Portuguese.

clog (a type of shoe with an inflexible, often wooden sole and an open heel)


respondéncia

From a merger of Portuguese correspondência and archaic Portuguese respondência (“commercial profit”), from Latin respondentia.

der

Su sapeca têm respondéncia


tiro-grandi

Portuguese tiro (“shot”) + grandi (“big”), calque of English big shot.


nhonhônha

Alternative form of nhonhonha: ladies, women


ólo

From Portuguese olho, with many adverbial senses being a calque of Cantonese 眼. Doublet of oclo.

ólo batê-batê

to blink quickly (literally, “to hit the eyes”)

ólo enfiado

ólo fino

ólo di gaviám

lively eyes (literally, “eyes of a hawk”)

ólo sentado

comê qui ficâ ôlo sentado

to overeat, to gorge (literally, “to eat to the point of sitting eyes”)

ólo empatucado

ólo galado

ólo más grándí qui baríga

a gluttonous person who takes more than he can ingest (literally, “eyes bigger than one's belly”)

fichâ ôlo

pussâ ôlo

to attract attention (literally, “to pull eyes”)

rancâ ôlo

to stare frighteningly (literally, “to snatch eyes”)

bassâ ôlo

virâ ôlo

to roll one's eyes; in a very short amount of time


quiança

From Portuguese criança. For /kr/ → /k/, compare quiada and isquevê.

Acunga quiança tâ churâ


quiada

From Portuguese criada, feminine form of criado. For /kr/ → /k/, compare quiança, isquevê, and maquiâ.

quiada já sai

the maid isn't working here anymore (literally, “the maid has left”)

elâ na rabicho di quiada


durmí

From Portuguese durmir, variant of dormir.

durmí assésta

to take a nap (literally, “to sleep a nap”)


puliça

Ultimately from Latin polītīa, probably through Portuguese polícia and the colloquial slang form puliça.

puliça-môro

Indian soldier formerly recruited from Goa, Damao and Diu to serve in Macao's police force

puliça pau

(historical) policeman carrying a wooden stick; policeman stick

Puliça prendê êle


chuchumeca

chuchú (“to poke”) or chúcho (“interfering, nosy”) + English maker.

Quelora, ficá careca, vôs nunca bom chuchuméca.

When you grow bald, don't be a troublemaker.

busybody, gossiper, chatterbox, troublemaker


parám

Borrowed from Malay parang (“short, heavy, straight-edged knife or machete”).

bor+

cleaver, butcher's knife (rectangular knife, commonly used in kitchens in Macau)


missó

>? Portuguese: missô

Borrowed from Japanese 味噌 (miso). First recorded in the Ou-Mun Kei-Leok published 1751. Possibly entered Macanese via the Japanese Catholic population who settled in the Pátio do Espinho during the 17th and 18th centuries.


miçó

Alternative form of missó: miso, soybean paste


chili-missó

chili paste, chili sauce (spicy Chinese condiment prepared with chile, vinegar and soybean paste)


missó cristám

Literally, “Christian/Catholic miso”. Speculated by some that because the miso used is different to the Japanese variety, it was considered pagan.

Macanese dish made with a base of soybean paste, minced pork, and saffron


cristám

From Portuguese cristão. Linguistic senses an ellipsis of língu cristám.

cristám-nôvo

adult Chinese convert to Catholicism (literally, “new Catholic”)

papiâ cristám

papiâ cristám


cristám

língu cristám

Portuguese; Macanese; Kristang; Christian/Catholic language

Christian (relating to or following Christianity)


greza

corê greza

to go to multiple churches on Maundy Thursday (literally, “to run church(es)”)

Nôs véla-véla têm-qui cubrí dol pa vai greza.

We old ladies have to cover our heads with a veil when we go to church.


atachamento

Most likely borrowed from English attachment, or some now-obsolete Portuguese descendant of French attachement.


falânpám

Apparently borrowed from English frying pan.


faitiám

Borrowed from Cantonese 快艇 (faai³ teng⁵).

speedboat (light, speedy boat, used for transporting goods and people)


pacfanista

Cantonese 白粉 (baak⁶ fan², “heroin”, literally “white powder”) + -ista (“agent noun suffix”), probably influenced by Cantonese derivations such as 白粉仔 (baak⁶ fan² zai²) and 白粉友 (baak⁶ fan² jau⁵⁻²).

suffix

drug addict (person with a chemical or psychological dependency on drugs)


iam-chá

Borrowed from Cantonese 飲茶 /饮茶 (jam² caa⁴).

bor+

yum cha (Chinese meal served between breakfast and lunchtime, usually featuring dim sum)


chanquêm

Borrowed from Cantonese 巡警 (ceon⁴ ging²), borrowing the now-obsolete sense of "police officer".


hám-chói

Borrowed from Cantonese 鹹菜 /咸菜 (haam⁴ coi³, “pickle”, literally “salty vegetable”).


hortelám di sopa

Literally, “soup mint”. Referred to as such due to its common usage in soups in Macanese cuisine, in addition to various other dishes.

chá di hortelám di sopa


hotê

Probably from Portuguese hotel, from French hôtel, from Latin hospitāle.

He says that tomorrow he will go to Hotel Lisboa to gamble.


pisidénte

From Portuguese presidente. For R-dropping, compare isquevê, quiança, and also pisente (“present”).

Olâ Pisidénte


vassôra

vassôra pena

feather duster with rattan handle (literally, “feather brush”)

vassôra bambú

stiff broom made from vine or bamboo strips (literally, “bamboo broom”)

vassôra côco

brush made from coconut fibre (literally, “coconut brush”)

pegâ vassôra-pena dále quiança

to beat a child with a feather duster (literally, “to beat a child with a feather brush”)


perdê chávi

Literally, “to lose the key”. Derivation uncertain.


faichista

faichi (“chopstick”) + -ista. Related to the rules of fan-tan, where a player uses a rod shaped like a chopstick to play the game.


chaminica

small teacup with no handle, used in Chinese restaurants


bafo cumprido

Calque of Cantonese 長氣 /长气 (coeng⁴ hei³, literally “long air”).

calque

(idiomatic) someone who talks excessively and repetitively; chatterbox


queique

large, heavy spiced fruitcake soaked in brandy, usually served at Christmas and in general at all important Macanese parties


corn-star

(small) cake made with corn starch or cornflour


calçám

From a merger of Portuguese calça (“trousers”) and calção (“shorts”).

calça-moura

light trousers worn by men at home or in bed


taufufá

Borrowed from Cantonese 豆腐花 (dau⁶ fu⁶ faa¹).

bor+

tofu pudding (cold tofu served with a syrup made of rock sugar and ginger)


tancá

Borrowed from Cantonese 蜑家 or 蛋家 (daan⁶ gaa¹, dang⁶ gaa¹).

small Chinese rowing boat, normally with no canvas cover


tancarêro

tancá + -êro. Intrusive -r- due to hypercorrected form tancar.


tapilu

Borrowed from Cantonese 打邊爐 /打边炉 (daa² bin¹ lou⁴).

hot pot (meal in which the food is brought to the table raw and then boiled in a communal pot on a special burner, called steamboat)


cai chuva

Possibly a calque of Cantonese 落雨 (lok⁶ jyu⁵, literally “fall rain”).

calque

Azinha vai casa-ia, logo cai chuva

Let's get home quickly, it's going to rain


candia

candia cera


sapeca fêmea

(idiomatic, possibly derogatory) easy money, money gained through dishonest means


estopôr

Uncertain. Possibly from Portuguese estupor (“stupor”).


máno

Presumably from Portuguese mano. Sense 3 (especially with chomâ) possibly also a semantic loan from Cantonese 大佬 (daai⁶ lou²).

semantic loan

Passado más quánto ano, quim logo chomá êle mano?

After all these years, who will call him the boss?


pacapiu

Borrowed from Cantonese 白鴿票 /白鸽票 (baak⁶ gaap³⁻² biu¹, literally “white pigeon ticket”).


porquéro

From Portuguese porqueiro. By surface analysis, porco + -éro. Compare Spanish porquero.


bunitéza

Andâ-cá, bunitéza!

Êle tâ andâ cô unga bunitéza, êle-sa siara tâ vai dále di bem!

He is always with a pretty girl, his wife is going to give him a proper beating!


nuviléro

Possibly from Portuguese novilheiro (“calf-fighter”) (cf. Spanish novillero), with a semantic shift due to Portuguese novidade (“news”) and more distantly Latin novellus (“new; novel”). By surface analysis, Portuguese novo + -éro.

surf

person who likes to spread and know about news


balichám

→ English: balichao

→ Portuguese: balichão

Borrowed from Malay belacan or older variants balacan, balacang. Possibly reinforced by cognate Cantonese 馬拉盞 /马拉盏 (maa⁵ laai¹ zaan²). Alternatively, from Portuguese baleia (“whale”), but this is less likely, both semantically and phonologically.

B-A-ba, primêro letra,
L-I-li divinhaçan;
Quim querê sabe minha nome
Botá ôlo na chan.
Sã Balichan.
B-A-ba, the first letter,
L-I-li guessing;
Whoever wants to know my name
Put your eye on the floor.
It's balicham.

balichao (savoury condiment prepared with very small, dried shrimp or krill)

porco balichám tamarinho

Macanese dish prepared with pork, tamarind and balichám


cabéça

From Portuguese cabeça. Sense 3 most likely a semantic loan from Cantonese 頭 /头.

cabéça-di-bonzo

soup prepared in a bain-marie using the skin of a winter gourd (literally, “head of monk”)

cabéça-di-vento

forgetful, head in the clouds (literally, “head of wind/air”)

cabéça-di-cobra

trafficker of illegal immigrants (literally, “head of snake”)


tagalám

Apparently from obsolete dialectal Portuguese tagalhão, possibly related to tagalho (“portion”). Further etymology uncertain.


nhim

Possibly a diminutive of Portuguese menina, ultimately from Old Galician-Portuguese meninha, with possible metathesis.


assésta

durmí assésta

to take a nap (literally, “to sleep nap”)


ach'á

a Muslim, especially an Indian, Pakistani or otherwise South Asian Muslim


môro

From Portuguese mouro (“Moor”). Compare Spanish moro.

puliça-môro

Indian soldier formerly recruited from Goa, Damao and Diu to serve in Macao's police force

carí di móro

(by extension) any non-Christian Indian (person from India)


múchi

Almost certainly borrowed from Japanese 餅 (mochi). Unclear whether alteration of the first vowel may have been influenced by Okinawan 餅 (mūchī) and/or a dialectal form in Japanese, or it may have happened internally in Macanese; compare fucinho and Portuguese focinho (“snout”).

mochi (rice cake made from glutinous rice and filled with desiccated coconut, roasted beans and sesame)


caxám

Presumably from Portuguese caixão, from caixa (“box”) + -ão (“augmentative suffix”). By surface analysis, caixa + -ám.


pilizám

Probably from Portuguese pelejão. By surface analysis, pilizâ (“to argue, to dispute”) + -ám.


pilizóna

Probably from obsolete and/or low colloquial Portuguese pelejona. By surface analysis, pilizâ + -óna.


amuiróna

amui (“girl”) + -róna (“feminine augmentative suffix”).


aporóna

apó (“elderly Chinese woman”) + -róna (“feminine augmentative suffix”).

Sã ramendá aporóna,
Cartá pinga vendê brêdo.
She appears to be an ordinary woman,
carrying baskets of vegetables for sale.

(possibly derogatory) large, heavy, ordinary middle-aged Chinese woman


cambrám

From Portuguese camarão and obsolete cambrão. For dissimilation of -mar- → -mbr-, compare also tambrinho.

bolo di cambrám

shrimp dumpling (literally, “shrimp cake”)

cambrám mizóna


camiám

From Portuguese camião (“lorry”), from French camion.


pó-bolacho

lombo pó di bolacho

bife pó bolacho


pó-brânco

Literally, “white powder”. Calque of Cantonese 白粉 (baak⁶ fan²).


bifalhada

From Portuguese bifalhada (“big portion of steak”), augmentative form of bife.


raspiáti

Uncertain. Variously speculated to be from either French rapiat (“avid; greedy”) or Indo-Portuguese rajputo, rasbuto, resbuto, reisbuto, a military caste in ancient Gujarat, ultimately from Sanskrit राजपुत्र (rājaputra). Semantically, the derogatory senses may have come about when the resbutos, after the Moors took over their Gujarati kingdom, turned to banditry, and were referred to as "great thieves and tyrants".

Raspiáti si sã querê
Tud'ora mostrá grandéza,
Sã têm qui onçôm gemê,
Pinchado na su pobréza.
The pauper who always goes about
Showing off grandeur,
Will end up suffering,
Cast down in his poverty.


babachai

Coordinate term: quiança