perereca

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Tupi (îu'i)perereka (“tree frog”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pe.ɾeˈɾɛ.kɐ/, /pɛ.ɾɛˈɾɛ.kɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pe.ɾeˈɾɛ.kɐ/, /pɛ.ɾɛˈɾɛ.kɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /pe.ɾeˈɾɛ.ka/, /pɛ.ɾɛˈɾɛ.ka/

• Rhymes: -ɛkɐ
• Hyphenation: pe‧re‧re‧ca

Noun

perereca f (plural pererecas)

1. (Brazil) tree frog

   Synonyms: rela, rã-arborícola

2. (Brazil) mosquito

   Synonyms: mosquito, carapanã, pernilongo

3. (Brazil, slang) female genitals; vagina

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vagina

4. (Brazil, colloquial) derringer

   Synonym: garrucha

5. (Brazil, colloquial) small portable radio
6. (Brazil, colloquial, humorous) denture

   Synonym: dentadura

7. (Brazil, colloquial) a small and fidgety person or animal

Usage notes

• The gender of this Portuguese word is always feminine. When the gender of the being itself must be specified, use “perereca-macho” for male, and “perereca-fêmea” for female.
• The term can refer to any tree frog – that is, any frog that is slim, jumpy and has adhesive discs on its fingers – not only the ones of the family Hylidae.

Derived terms

• macuquinho-perereca
• perereca-araponga
• perereca-azul
• perereca-de-banheiro
• perereca-de-capacete
• perereca-de-vidro
• perereca-do-bambuzal
• perereca-macaco
• perereca-verde
• pererecar
• pererequinha

 

Adjective

perereca m or f (plural pererecas)

1. (Brazil, colloquial) fidgety, specially when referring to children

Further reading

• “perereca”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2024
• “perereca”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024
• “perereca”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2024