adaga

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

First attested in the 16th century. Rebracketing of earlier daga, in constructions such as a daga (“the dagger”), uma daga (“a dagger”), reanalyzed as a adaga, uma adaga. Daga was inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese; its ultimate origin is uncertain, perhaps a borrowing from Italian daga, or directly from its etymon, Vulgar Latin *daca, thought to derive from the feminine of Dācus (“Dacian”), as in arma Dāca (“Dacian weapon”), referring to the weapon’s origins in Dacia. Cognates include Occitan, Italian, and Spanish daga, Dutch dagge, German Degen, and English dagger.

Pronunciation

 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /aˈda.ɡɐ/
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /aˈda.ɡa/
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ɐˈda.ɡɐ/ [ɐˈða.ɣɐ]

  • Rhymes: -aɡɐ
  • Hyphenation: a‧da‧ga

Noun

adaga f (plural adagas)

  1. (weaponry) dagger (a stabbing weapon)
    Synonym: punhal
    • 1552, João de Barros, Diogo de Couto, Da Asia de João de Barros e Diogo de Couto‎[1], volume I, book X, chapter I, Lisbon: Regia Officina Typographica, published 1778, page 386:
      Entre elles não ha cavallos, e por iſſo a guerra, que Benomotápa faz he a pé com eſtas armas, arcos de fréchas, azagayas de arremeço, adagas, machadinhas de ferro, que cortam mui bem […]
      Among them there are no horses, and for that reason the Mutapa Empire wages war on foot, with these weapons: bows and arrows, throwing assegais, daggers, iron hatchets, which cut really well […]
  2. (typography) dagger (the character †)
    Synonyms: obelisco, cruz, óbelo

Further reading

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