Portuguese vocabulary

Most of thePortuguese vocabularycomes fromLatinbecausePortugueseis aRomance language.
However, other languages thatcame into contactwith it have also left their mark. In the thirteenth century,  the lexicon of Portuguese had about 80% words of Latin origin and 20% of pre-RomanGallaecianandCeltiberian,Germanic,GreekandArabicorigin.
Traces of the languages from native peoples of western Iberia (Gallaeci,Lusitanians,CelticiorConii) persist in Portuguese, as shown below. Most of the pre-Roman placenames or rivers in Portugal originate from theHispano-CelticGallaecianandCeltiberianlanguages. There are also a few Iberian, Basque and Tartessian components in Portuguese.
Projections on Iberian vocabulary, toponyms and derivations in Portuguese, indicate just a few dozen words in total.
The Basque influence in Portuguese is believed to have entered mainly through Spanish, because many of those who took part in theReconquistaand later repopulationcampaignsin Portugal, were ofBasquelineage.
Although there is not a comprehensive study or wordcount on how muchCeltic, (particularlyGallaecianand words from theHispano-Celtic group) survived in Portuguese (andGalician);it is fair to say that after Latin, this is the second largest component in the Portuguese culture and language.Projections on Celtic vocabulary (some words may have come via French borrowings starting in the 12th century), toponyms and derivations inPortuguese, indicate over 3,000 words.The Celtic substratum is often overlooked,due to the strongLatinisationof Celtic-derivedwords in Portuguese and the ancient linguistic threads of pre-Roman origin.
A considerable number of the Portuguese surnames (spread in all Portuguese-speaking countries and ex-colonies today) is Celtic or of Latinised, Celtic-borrowings. This is not a comprehensive list of those.
The main Germanic influence in Portuguese were theSuebiandVisigoths(alsoBuriandVandals).
Their vocabulary in Portuguese is often related to warfare/military topics, animalstexugo(badger), natural worldorvalho(dew), Human qualities likefranqueza(frankness, candour),orgulho(pride), some verbs likeganhar(to gain), town and placenames such asAldão,Alderete,Albergaria-a-Velha,Albergaria-a-Nova(from Gothic 'haribergo'),ErmesindeandEsposende, wheresindeandsendefor instance; are derived from the Germanic "sinths" (military expedition), numerousSuebiderivations like,Freamunde(from 'Fredemundus'),Vermunde,Amonde(Onomondi),Samonde,Gimonde,Aldão,Guadramil,Gondomil,Samil,Gosende,Guilhofrei(from Geodefredis),Esmoriz,Esmeriz(toponymics of Hermeric, king of the Suebians),Alhariz(toponymic of Aliaricus),Oriz,Touriz,Roriz,Gavieira,Gondoriz,Gondizalves,Gondar,Gondomar(from Gundomarus),Gondarém,Gudim,Guimarães(from Vimara),Torres Vedras(from Turres Veteras, 'old tower'),Sousa,Terras de SousaandTerras de Bouro(land of theBuri),Serra do Bouro,Bouro, are found mainly in the Minho (Braga) and Douro (Porto) regions- these two provinces present the highest concentration of Germanic toponyms in the Iberian Peninsula, as they historically correspond to old theSuebic Kingdomin the middle-ages.
Many of the Germanic words entered the language during the late antiquity, either as words introduced into Vulgar Latin elsewhere, or as words brought along by theSuebiwho settled in Gallaecia (Northern Portugal and Galicia) in the 5th century, and also by theVisigothswho annexed the Suebic Kingdom in 585 and ruled until the 8th century AD.
It is very difficult to establish how the Suebi and Visigoth dialects differed from each other during that period, how much linguistic assimilation occurred, and therefore almost impossible to classify words with etymological certainty.
Because they have different Germanic origins, this list is divided into words that come fromEnglish,Frankish,Langobardic,Middle Dutch,Middle High German,Middle Low German,Old English,Old High German,Old Norse,Old Swedish, andVisigothicand finally, words which come from aGermanicroot, where the specific source is unknown or uncertain. Projections indicate over 600Germanicwords in Portuguese,with a tendency to increase due toEnglish,Germanand other modern influences. Some of these words existed inLatinasloanwordsfrom otherlanguages. Some of these words have alternateetymologiesand may also appear on a list of Galician words from a differentlanguage. Some words contain non-Germanic elements. Any form with anasterisk(*) is unattested and thereforehypothetical.
Langobardic:
Ancient Roman-derived names are the most numerous in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries. Together with Germanic-derived names they constitute the majority of those (and similarly to most European/Western countries inherited also a number of ancient Greek and Hebrew names) today. With globalisation, a number of new Germanic names (and other origins) exist in Portuguese. Because they stem from the same root, Portuguese and Galician share common Germanic names, inherited from theSuevi(who settled in northernPortugalandGaliciain 409AD),Visigoths,Vandals,Buriand other Germanic peoples, were often the most commonPortuguese-Galiciannames during the early and highMiddle Ages. This article deals with Germanic personal names recorded and used in northernPortugal, Galicia and its adjoining regions: territories of thekingdom of the Suebiduring theearly Middle Agesfrom its 409 settlement to the 12th century.
Germanic names were the most common personal names in Portugal-Galicia (Gallaecia) during the early andhigh Middle Ages, surpassing Christian and Roman names in number and popularity.The names, primarily ofEast Germanicorigin, were used by theSuebi,Goths,VandalsandBurgundians. With the names, the Galicians-Portuguese inherited the Germaniconomasticsystem; a person used one name (sometimes a nickname or alias), with no surname, occasionally adding apatronymic. More than 1,000 such names have been preserved in local records.and in local toponyms.
Many of the Germanic names were composite, with the second element usually a noun with the same gender of the bearer. Others werehypocorismsformed from a composite name or deriving from it.Less frequently, a name was a noun or an adjective.
These names were transmitted to the Suevi with the usual Germanic rules of inheritance,which were variations (passing one element of the name;Rechiarwas the son ofRechila, who was the son ofHermeric) and alliteration (names beginning with the same sound;Maldraswas the son of the nobleman Masila). Full names were later transmitted from grandfather to grandson (commemoration), following a trend common until the present in most ofwestern Europe.
In addition to the conversion of many Germanic endings into Romance or Latin endings, the names had phonetic adaptationssuch as the change of word stress from the first to the penultimate syllable, the conversion of most [þ] into [t] or [d] and the conversion of [h] into [k] before a consonant. [W] was initially preserved, although noted as [u] or [oy] before becoming [gw] (or, less commonly, [b]). These early inherited names underwent Western Romance andGalicianchanges from Latin, such as consonantlenitionandpalatalization. This contributed to a large number of variants in recorded names; Ostrofredus was recorded in Portugal-Galicia as Ortofredus, Ostofredo, Ostouredus, Ostrofedone, Stobredo and Strofredo.
The following names, used by theSueviofGallaeciaduring the fifth and sixth centuries, were recorded in chronicles, inscriptions and acts of local ecclesiastical councils:Hermericus, Heremigarius,Rechila,Rechiarius, Agriulfum,Maldras, Massila,Framta,Frumarius,Rechimundus,Remismundus, Veremundus, Chararici,Ariamirus, Ildericus,Theudomirus,Miro, Nitigisius, Uittimer, Anila, Remisol, Adoric,Eboricus, Siseguntia f,Audeca,Malaricus, Pantardus, Neufila, Hildemirus, Commundus, Ermaricus, Sunila, Becilla, Gardingus, Argiovitus, Gomedei, Rodomiro, Ermengontia f, Remisiwera f, Thuresmuda f, Suinthiliuba f.
Many of the names, used by kings such as Miro, Reckila and Theudemirus, were used for local toponyms: Mirón,Requián, Requiás, Requiás and Receá,Tuimil and Toimil.
The following is a list of the roots used to form Germanic personal names in Galicia-Portugal and northwesternIberia. Many are related to war, victory, fame, boldness, strength and warlike qualities (bald-, funs-, hild-, gund-, nand-, rod-, seg-, send-),totemicanimals (ar-, wulf-, ber-, ebur-) and weapons (brand-, bruni-, rand-, saru-); many others refer to knowledge, love and other peaceful qualities (fred-, leob-, mun-, ragi-, rad-, uin-). Some refer to the condition of ruler or master (fro-, ric-, vald-, Froya, Theodinus, Tructinus, Hendinus). Another group refers to the tribe, nation or country (conia-, fulc-, teod-, leod-, man-, truct-, gavi-, gogi-, kend-), and another appears to refer to Huns (Hun-), Suevi (Sav-), Goths (Gut-), Vandals (Vandal-), Celts (Vala-), Vendians/Slavs (Venet-), Galindians/Balths (Galind-), Franks (Frank-), Saxons (Sax-), Angles (Engl-), Danes (Dan-) and other peoples. Although some elements are identical to others found in Celticanthroponymy(And-, Dag-, -mar, -riks), others appear to be adaptations of Latin words and names incorporated in theDanuberegion:Florens, Fortis, Crescens.
Forms marked with an asterisk are unrecorded and hypothetical. PGmc is an abbreviation forProto-Germanic.
Elements common as the second syllable of feminine names include:
Suffixes used to derivehypocoristicfeminine names include:
Elements common as the second syllable of masculine names include:
Suffixes used to derive hypocoristic masculine names are:
Superlative and comparative suffixes were also used in forming personal names:-iza: Boniza, Wittiza-istaz: Ariastre, Belestrio, Fromesta, Remestro, Segestro
Other suffixes imply origin or relationship:
Many of these names are alsotoponyms(towns, parishes, villages, hamlets and fields), usually in the form of a Latin or Germanicgenitiveof the owner's name and sometimes preceded by the type of property (a Portuguese-Galician word of Latin, Germanic or pre-Latin origin) such asvila(villa, palace, estate),vilar(hamlet)castro(castle),casa(house),porta(pass, ford),agro(field),sa(Germanicsala; hall, house),busto(dairy),cabana(cabin),lama(pastures),fonte(well, spring),pena(fort),pomar(orchard) andvale(valley). This kind of name is present all over Northern Portugal:
b) Sigefredo (Siegfried = victorious peace), Gondomar (the first element means «sword»), Arganil (from hargis, army), Adães e Adufe (from hathus = fight); hildis (= fight) and Tagilde, etc.; Tresmonde, Trasmil, etc. from thras (= dispute); for Ermesinde and Esposende comes sinths (= military expedition). Also citing Antenor Nascentes pg. XXI of his "Dicionário Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa":
Several thousand such toponyms are known in northern and central Portugal, Galicia, western Asturias and other territories which were part of the Suebi kingdom.
Between the 8th and mid 13th centuries, most of Portugal was occupied and under the influence of the IslamicEmirate of Cordobaknown as (Al-Andalus). During that period, although the local populations continued to speakWestern Romance, and further southMozarabicdialects;Arabicbeing the elite language, lent new words to Portuguese, thanks to a rich cultural and scientific legacy left in theIberian Peninsulaand the Western world in theMiddle Ages.