colega

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuˈleɡa/

Noun

colega m

1. colleague

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• collega (pre-reform)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin collēga (“a partner in office”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /koˈlɛ.ɡɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /koˈlɛ.ɡɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /koˈlɛ.ɡa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kuˈlɛ.ɡɐ/ [kuˈlɛ.ɣɐ]

• Hyphenation: co‧le‧ga

Noun

colega m or f by sense (plural colegas)

1. colleague (fellow member of a profession or staff)

   Synonyms: companheiro, confrade

   • 1905, Maria Amalia Vaz de Carvalho, “A perceptora [The preceptress]”, in Contos e phantasias [Short stories and fantasies]‎^[1], 2nd edition, Lisbon: Parceria Antonio Maria Pereira, page 210:

     Reconheceu somente que era um pouco mais bonita que a generalidade das suas collegas.

     He recognized only that she was slightly more pretty than most of her colleagues.

2. classmate
3. buddy, friend

   Synonyms: amigo, companheiro, camarada

Related terms

• colégio, coleguismo, colegagem

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin collēga.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koˈleɡa/ [koˈle.ɣ̞a]
• Rhymes: -eɡa
• Syllabification: co‧le‧ga

Noun

colega m or f by sense (plural colegas)

1. colleague
2. (colloquial, Spain) buddy

   Synonym: socio

See also

• compañero m, compañera f

Further reading

• “colega”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10