céu

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See also: ceu, CEU, and ce'u

Portuguese

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O céu

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese ceo (sky; heaven), from Latin caelum (sky), from Proto-Italic *kailom, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂i-lom (whole), from *keh₂i-.

Cognate with Galician ceo, Spanish cielo, Catalan cel, Occitan cèl, French ciel, Italian cielo and Romanian cer.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛw
  • Hyphenation: céu

Noun

céu m (plural céus)

  1. sky
    O céu é azul.The sky is blue.
    • 1965, Amália Rodrigues, Fado Português:
      O Fado nasceu um dia, / quando o vento mal bulia / e o céu o mar prolongava, / na amurada dum veleiro, / no peito dum marinheiro / que, estando triste, cantava.
      Fado was born one day, / when the wind was blowing hard / and the sky was extending the sea, / in the bulwark of a ship, / in the chest of a sailor / who, being sad, was singing.
    • 2003, J. K. Rowling, Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix, Rocco, page 246:
      Então continuaram a estudar enquanto o céu lá fora se tornava gradualmente mais escuro.
      Then they continued to study while the sky outside was becoming gradually darker.
  2. (religion, sometimes capitalized) heaven
    Ir para o céu.To go to heaven.

Usage notes

This word can be used in the singular or plural indiscriminately. Plural usage tends to be more poetic (like English skies).

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Angolar: onthe
  • Annobonese: osé
  • Guinea-Bissau Creole: seu
  • Indo-Portuguese: ceos
  • Kabuverdianu: seu
  • Korlai Creole Portuguese: sews
  • Old Tupi: ybaka (heaven) (semantic loan)
  • Principense: ose
  • Sãotomense: ose

Further reading