cabaia

Portuguese

Etymology

Likely borrowed from Sinhalese කබාය (kabāya), singular form of කබා (kabā, “coats”), from Persian (“long garment, cloak”), from Arabic قَبَاء (qabāʔ, “garment with long sleeves”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈbaj.ɐ/ [kaˈbaɪ̯.ɐ]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaˈbaj.a/ [kaˈbaɪ̯.a]

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐˈbaj.ɐ/ [kɐˈβaj.ɐ]

Noun

cabaia f (plural cabaias)

(historical) cabaya (a long Muslim cotton over-gown)

Descendants

→ Malay: kebaya
- Indonesian: kêbaya
- → Chinese: 可巴雅 (kěbāyǎ)
- → English: kebaya
- → Tausug: kabaya

References

^ Hoogervorst, T. (2018), “Sailors, tailors, cooks, and crooks: On loanwords and neglected lives in Indian Ocean ports”, in Itinerario, volume 42, number 3, →DOI, pages 516–548

“cabaia”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
“cabaia”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
“cabaia”, in Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisboa: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, 2001–2025

[1] Hoogervorst, T. (2018), “Sailors, tailors, cooks, and crooks: On loanwords and neglected lives in Indian Ocean ports”, in Itinerario, volume 42, number 3, →DOI, pages 516–548

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