# alfaia
## English
### Etymology

From Portuguese alfaia.

### Noun

alfaia (plural alfaias)
* A Brazilian drum with a membrane made of animal skin.
** 2015 August 3, Ben Ratliff, “Review: Nação Zumbi Returns to Central Park SummerStage”, in New York Times‎:And there was the band’s centerpiece and glory, the interlocking rhythm of a trap-set drummer, a percussionist, and three standing drummers playing the alfaia, the large wooden drum from the African-derived, northeastern Brazilian song-and-dance tradition of maracatu.

## Galician
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese alfaia, from Arabic حَاجَة (ḥāja, “necessary thing; valuable thing”) or حِلْيَة (ḥilya, “ornament”). Cognate with Portuguese alfaia and Spanish alhaja.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /alˈfaja/ [ɑlˈfa̠.jɐ]
* Rhymes: -aja
* Hyphenation: al‧fa‧ia

### Noun

alfaia f (plural alfaias)
* jewel
    Synonym: xoia
* worth
    Synonym: valor
* vessel
** 1433, Á. Rodríguez González & José Armas Castro (eds.), Minutario notarial de Pontevedra (1433-1435). Santiago de Compostela: Consello da Cultura Galega, page 51:
    prefeas et alfayas de casavessels and other needed things of the home
    Synonym: perfia

#### Related terms

* alfaiate

### References

* Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “alfaya”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “alfaya”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “alfaia”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “alfaia”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “alfaia”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

## Old Galician-Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic الْحَاجَة (al-ḥāja, “utensil”).

### Noun

alfaia f (plural alfaias)
* utensil
* ornament

#### Related terms

* alfaiate

#### Descendants

* Galician: alfaia
* Portuguese: alfaia

### Further reading

* Universo Cantigas - "alfaia"

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese alfaia, from Arabic الحَاجَة (al-ḥāja, “necessary thing; valuable thing”). Compare Galician alfaia and Spanish alhaja.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /awˈfaj.ɐ/ [aʊ̯ˈfaɪ̯.ɐ]
* (Brazil) IPA: /awˈfaj.ɐ/ [aʊ̯ˈfaɪ̯.ɐ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /awˈfaj.a/ [aʊ̯ˈfaɪ̯.a]
* (Portugal) IPA: /alˈfaj.ɐ/ [aɫˈfaj.ɐ]
* Hyphenation: al‧fai‧a

### Noun

alfaia f (plural alfaias)
* utensil
    Synonyms: utensílio, instrumento, ferramenta, aparato
* ornament
    Synonyms: ornamento, ornato, enfeite, adorno

#### Related terms

* alfaiate

### References

* ↑ “alfaia”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025