List of English words of Portuguese origin

A-E

Açaí 

from Portuguese açaí, from Tupi-Guarani asaí

Ainhum 

from Portuguese, based on Yoruba eyun 'saw'

Albacore 

from albacor from Arabic بكورة al-bukr (="the young camels")

Albatross 

an alteration of albatroz, under influence of the Latin word albus ("white")

Albino 

from albino, with the same meaning, from Latin albus

Amah 

from Portuguese ama, nurse, housemaid, from Medieval Latin amma, mother

Anhinga 

from Portuguese, from Tupi áyinga

Añil 

from anil, through French, via Arabic النيل al-nili and Persian نیلا nila; ultimately from Sanskrit नीली nili (="indigo)

Auto-da-fé 

a judicial 'act' or sentence of the Inquisition from auto da fé (= "act/sentence of faith")

Ayah 

Anglo-Indian native nurse, children's governess from Port. aia, originally from Latin avia (grandmother). Etymogically related to English "uncle"

Banana 

from Portuguese, of African origin; akin to Wolof banäna banana

Banyan 

from Portuguese, from Gujarati vāṇiyo, from Sanskrit "vaṇij"

Baroque 

from barroco (adj. = "unshapely")

Bossa nova 

(= "new trend" or "new wave")

Breeze 

probably from Old Spanish and Portuguese briza 'northeastern wind

Bual 

from boal

Buccaneer

from French boucanier, from boucaner, ("to cure meat"), from boucan, ("barbecue frame"), of Tupian origin, mukém, ("rack"), via Portuguese moquém.

Buffalo 

from Portuguese bufalo, from late Latin bufalus, from Greek boubalos 'antelope, wild ox'

Cachalot 

from Portuguese cachalote (same meaning), probably via Spanish or French. The Portuguese word comes from cachola ("head" or "big head")

Cachou 

from French, from Portuguese cachu, from Malay kacu

Carambola

Star fruit - Portuguese, perhaps from Marathi कराम्बल karambal

Caramel 

via French and Spanish, from Portuguese caramelo, 'caramel', from Late Latin calamellus. Typical Portuguese rhotacism of the letter "L".

Caravel 

from caravela

Carbonado 

from Portuguese

Carioca 

from Tupi "carioca" (cari = white men, oca = house; house of the white men), via Portuguese carioca (native of Rio de Janeiro)

Carnauba 

from carnaúba

Cashew 

from caju (a tropical fruit)

Caste 

from casta (="class")

Cobra 

shortening of cobra-de-capelo, with the same meaning (literally, "snake with a hood")

Coconut 

from coco + nut

Commando 

from comando 'command'

Cougar 

from French couguar, from Portuguese suçuarana, perhaps from Tupian sɨwasuarána or Guaraní guaçu ara.

Creole 

French créole, from Castilian Spanish criollo, person native to a locality, from Portuguese crioulo, diminutive of cria, ("'person raised in one's house with no blood relation, a servant'"), < Portuguese criar ("'to rear, to raise, to bring up'"), from Latin creare, to beget; < Latin creo ("'to create'"), which came into English via French between 1595 and 1605. [same root as creature]

Cuspidor 

from Portuguese, spitter, from cuspir 'to spit'

Dodo 

According to Encarta Dictionary and Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, "dodo" comes from Portuguese doudo (currently, more often, doido) meaning "fool" or "crazy". The present Portuguese word dodô ("dodo") is of English origin. The Portuguese word doudo or doido may itself be a loanword from Old English (cp. English "dolt")

Embarrass 

from Portuguese embaraçar (same meaning; also to tangle - string or rope), from em + baraço (archaic for "rope")

Emu 

from ema (="rhea")

F-N

Farofa 

typical dish of Brazil

Feijoada 

typical Portuguese and Brazilian stew. Used during the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Fetish 

from French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço ("charm", "sorcery", "spell"), from Latin factitius or feticius ("artificial")

Flamingo 

from Portuguese flamingo, from Spanish flamenco

Genipapo 

from Portuguese jenipapo, from Tupi

Grouper 

from garoupa

Guarana 

from Portuguese guaraná, from Tupi warana

Igarapé 

from Tupi : Area with trees near of rivers with the roots in the water.

Indigo 

from Spanish indico, Portuguese endego, and Dutch (via Portuguese) indigo, from Latin indicum, from Greek indikon 'blue dye from India'

Jacaranda 

from Tupi yakaranda.

Jackfruit 

from Portuguese jaca, from Malayalam chakka + fruit

Jaggery 

from Portuguese xagara, jag(a)ra, from Malayalam cakkarā, from Sanskrit śarkarā

Jaguar 

from Tupi or Guaraní jaguarete via Portuguese

Junk 

from junco, from Javanese djong (Malay adjong).

Konpeitō

Japanese sweets, from the Portuguese confeito (sugar candy)

Labrador 

from the name of Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador, the surname meaning "landowner" or "farmer".

Lacquer 

from French lacre, from Portuguese lacre, from Arabic lakk, from Persian lak

Lambada 

from lambada (="beating, lashing")

Lascar 

from Portuguese lascari, from Urdu and Persian laškarī 'soldier', from laškar 'army'.

Launch (boat) 

from Portuguese lancha, from Malay lancharan 'boat'.

Lingo 

perhaps from Old Portuguese lingoa, today's língua, ("language", "tongue") related to Old Provençal lengo, lingo. Or perhaps, from Polari slang, ultimately from Italian lingua franca. Polari is a distinctive English argot in use since at least the 18th century among groups of theatrical and circus performers and in certain homosexual communities, derived largely from Italian, directly or through Lingua Franca. Sailors' expressions from the 16th century passed on to 19th century English 'gay' culture, and vaudeville theatrical world, including words derived from a variety of sources such as Italian, Romani, Yiddish, and British rhyming slang.

Macaque 

from macaco, through French

Macaw 

from macau; ultimately from Tupi macavuana.

Mandarin 

from mandarim, from the Malay mantri, from Hindi मंत्री matri, from Sanskrit मन्त्रिन् mantrin (="counsellor")

Mango 

from manga, via Malay mangga, ultimately from Malayalam മാങ്ങ māṅṅa or from Tamil மாங்காய் mānkāy

Mangrove 

probably from Portuguese mangue mangrove (from Spanish mangle, probably from Taino) + English grove

Manioc 

from mandioca (="cassava") from Tupi mandioca.

Maraca 

from maracá from Tupi

Marimba 

from Portuguese, of Bantu origin; akin to Kimbundu ma-rimba : ma-, pl. n. pref. + rimba, xylophone, hand piano

Marmalade 

from marmelada, a preserve made from marmelo (="quince")

Molasses 

from melaço (="treacle")

Monsoon 

from monção

Mosquito 

from Mosquito meaning 'little fly'

Mulatto 

Portuguese mulato. From mula (=mule) a cross between a horse and a donkey or from the Arabic term muwallad, which means "a person of mixed ancestry"

Negro 

Negro means "black" in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, being from the Latin word niger (Dative nigro, Accusative nigrum) and the Greek word Νέγρος Negros both of the same meaning. It came to English through the Portuguese and Spanish slave trade. Prior to the 1970s, it was the dominant term for Black people of African origin; in most English language contexts (except its inclusion in the names of some organizations founded when the term had currency, e.g. the United Negro College Fund), it is now considered either archaic or a slur.

P-Z

Pagoda 

from pagode; corruption of Persian بوتکاتا butkata (+"idol deity")

Palanquin 

from Portuguese palanquim, from Oriya pālaṅki

Palaver 

a chat, from palavra (="word"), Portuguese palavra (word), parabola (parable), speech (current fala, discurso), chat (current bate-papo, papo, palavrinha, conversa and also Eng. chat) alteration of Late Latin parabola, speech, parable.

Pickaninny 

from pequenina (="little one") or pequeninha (="toddler")

Piranha 

from piranha (=piranha), from Tupi pirá ("fish") + ánha ("cut")

Pomfret 

from Portuguese pampo

potato

from "batata"

Ramkie

from Afrikaans, from Nama rangi-b, perhaps from Portuguese rabequinha diminutive of rabeca 'fiddle'

Sablefish 

from sável (="shad," "whitefish")

Samba 

from samba ; ultimately of Angolan origin, semba

Sargasso 

from sargaço (="sargasso")

Savvy 

from sabe he knows, from saber to know

Serval 

from French, from Portuguese (lobo-)cerval 'Iberian lynx', from Latin cervarius

Stevedore 

from estivador (="stevedore")

Talapoin 

from French, from Portuguese talapão

Tank 

from tanque

Tapioca 

from tapioca

Teak 

from teca

Tempura 

Japanese 天麩羅, tenpura?, also written as "天ぷら", from Portuguese têmporas, (=Ember Days)

Verandah 

from varanda (="balcony" or "railing"), from Hindi वरांडा varanda or Bengali baranda

Vindaloo 

probably from Portuguese vin d'alho 'wine and garlic (sauce)', from vinho 'wine' + alho 'garlic' or possibly from vinagre 'vinegar' + alho 'garlic'

Yam 

from inhame or Spanish ñame from West African nyama (="eat")

Zebra 

from zebra (same meaning), which started as the feminine form of zebro (a kind of deer), from vulgar Latin eciferus, classical Latin EQUIFERVS.

Character

The ~, commonly called tilde, came into existence as a distinct character (separate from its superscript use on the ñ and other letters) on Portuguese-language mechanical typewriters, a dead key with which to create ã, Ã, õ, and Õ.