cachorro

Uncertain,^[1][2] perhaps from Basque txakur, with metathesis, or from a Vulgar Latin *cattulus,^[3] from Latin catulus, and possibly via Spanish cachorro (“cub”). Compare also Italian cucciolo and Corsican ghjacaru.

• (Rural Central Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɐˈʃo.hʷ/
• Hyphenation: ca‧chor‧ro

cachorro m (plural cachorros, feminine cachorra, feminine plural cachorras)

1. (Portugal) puppy (a young dog)
2. (Brazil, Madeira, colloquial) dog (of any age)
3. (Brazil, derogatory) a promiscuous man
4. (Brazil, by extension) an unfaithful man
5. Ellipsis of cachorro-quente: hot dog

In Brazil, this is the neutral and colloquial term for "dog", whereas in settings of higher formalities cão is used instead. The feminine cachorra is even more avoided in such settings (in which cadela is used), but is used more often in everyday language.

• (dog): cão

• cachorrão (augmentative)
• cachorrinho (diminutive)
• cachorro-do-mato
• cachorro-quente (hot-dog)

• Guinea-Bissau Creole: katcur, katchuru
• Kabuverdianu: katchor
• Macanese: cachôro
• Papiamentu: kachó
• → Kaingang: kasor

Probably from Vulgar Latin *cattulus (“whelp, puppy”), from Latin catŭlus (“puppy”).^[1][2][3]

Or, from or influenced by a metathesis of Basque txakur, xakur (“puppy”);^[4] however, this has been dismissed as speculative.^[5] Compare with Italian cucciolo.

• IPA^(key): /kaˈt͡ʃoro/

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oro
• Syllabification: ca‧cho‧rro

cachorro m (plural cachorros, feminine cachorra, feminine plural cachorras)

1. puppy

   Synonym: perrito

2. cub (the young of certain other animals, generally mammals)
3. pup (young of foxes, seals or sea lions)

• cachorro de lobo (“wolf cub, wolfling”)
• Cachorros de Chicago (“Chicago Cubs”)

• can
• chucho
• perrito
• pichicho

• “cachorro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10