freira

See also: freirá

Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese freira. By surface analysis, freire +‎ -a.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾe(j).ɾɐ/ [ˈfɾe(ɪ̯).ɾɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾe(j).ɾɐ/ [ˈfɾe(ɪ̯).ɾɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾe(j).ɾa/ [ˈfɾe(ɪ̯).ɾa]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾɐj.ɾɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾɐj.ɾɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾej.ɾɐ/
  • (Central Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾej.ɾɐ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfɾe.ɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -ejɾɐ, (Portugal) -ɐjɾɐ, (j-dropping) -eɾɐ
• Hyphenation: frei‧ra

Noun

freira f (plural freiras)

1. female equivalent of freire: nun (woman who professed a religious order)
2. Atlantic pomfret

   Synonyms: plumbeta, xaputa

3. Pterodroma
4. (Brazil) Phallus indusiatus
5. (Brazil) Sula leucogaster
6. (regional) a crack in the cork

Derived terms

• barriga-de-freira
• freira secular
• freira-de-penas-lisas
• freira-pintalgada
• freira-suave
• frerinha
• umbigo-de-freira

Further reading

• “freira”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “freira”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “freira”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025