cangaço

Portuguese

Etymology

Usually said to be from canga (“yoke”) +‎ -aço.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈɡa.su/

• Rhymes: -asu

Noun

cangaço m (uncountable)

1. (Brazil, historical) a form of social banditry in the Northeast Region of Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Derived terms

• cangaceiro

Further reading

• “cangaço”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “cangaço”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025