dedo

English

Etymology

From Spanish and Portuguese dedo (“digit, finger”), from Old Spanish and Old Galician-Portuguese dedo, from Latin digitus, from Proto-Indo-European *deyǵ- (“to show, to point out”).

Noun

dedo (plural dedos)

1. (historical) A traditional short Spanish unit of length, usually about equal to 1.75 cm.
2. (historical) A traditional short Portuguese unit of length, usually about equal to 1.8 cm.

Synonyms

• finger, digit (in Spanish or Portuguese contexts)

Coordinate terms

• (Spanish unit): punto (¹⁄₁₀₈ dedo), linea (¹⁄₉ dedo), pulgada (1+¹⁄₃ dedos), coto (6 dedos), palmo (12 dedos), pie (16 dedos), codo (24 dedos), vara (48 dedos)
• (Portuguese unit): ponto (¹⁄₉₆ dedo), linha (¹⁄₈ dedo), grao (¹⁄₄ dedo), polegada (1+¹⁄₂ dedos), palmo (12 dedos), Portuguese foot (18 dedos), covado (36 dedos), vara (60 dedos)

Chavacano

Etymology

From Spanish dedo (“finger”).

Noun

dedo

1. finger

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese dedo, from Latin digitus. Cognate with Portuguese dedo, Spanish dedo and Catalan dit.

Noun

dedo m (plural dedos)

1. finger
2. toe
3. digit
4. jigger

Ladino

Etymology

From Old Spanish dedo, from Latin digitus.

Noun

dedo m (Latin spelling)

1. (anatomy) finger

Latin

Etymology

From dē- +‎ dō (“I give”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈdeː.doː/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈde.do/,

Verb

dēdō (present infinitive dēdere, perfect active dēdidī, supine dēditum); third conjugation

1. (transitive) to hand over, surrender, give up, consign, deliver, yield, abandon

   Synonyms: dēserō, relinquō, omittō, concēdō, cēdō, dēcēdō, dēstituō, dēficiō, oblīvīscor, linquō, dēsinō, dissimulō, trādō, addīcō, praetereō, neglegō, dēspondeō, pōnō, dō, reddō, remittō, permittō, dēferō, trānsferō, tribuō

2. to devote, dedicate

   Synonyms: studeō, serviō

Conjugation

Derived terms

• dēditīcius
• dēditiō
• dēditus

Descendants

• Romanian: deda

References

• “dedo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “dedo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• dedo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• dedo in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to abandon oneself to inactivity and apathy: desidiae et languori se dedere
    
  • to devote oneself absolutely to the pursuit of pleasure: se totum voluptatibus dedere, tradere
    
  • to devote oneself entirely to literature: se totum litteris tradere, dedere
    
  • to abandon oneself to vice: animum vitiis dedere
    
  • to abandon oneself (entirely) to debauchery: se (totum) libidinibus dedere
    
  • to give up one's person and all one's possessions to the conqueror: se suaque omnia dedere victori
    

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin digitum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈde.do/

Noun

dedo f (plural dedos)

1. digit (finger or toe)

Descendants

• Galician: dedo
• Portuguese: dedo (see there for further descendants)

Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese dedo, from Latin digitus, from Proto-Indo-European *deyǵ- (“to show, point out, pronounce solemnly”). Doublet of dígito, which was borrowed. Compare Galician dedo, Spanish dedo, and Catalan dit.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -edu
• Hyphenation: de‧do

• Audio (BR)

  (file)

Noun

dedo m (plural dedos)

1. digit, a part of the body inclusive of fingers or toes
2. (informal, measure) finger, the width of a finger as an approximate unit of length

   adicione quatro dedos de leite ― add four fingers of milk

3. (historical, measure) dedo, a traditional Portuguese unit of measurement about equal to 1.8 cm

Usage notes

The use of dedo as either finger or toe is usually inferred by context. If needed, one can say dedo da mão (“hand digit”) or dedo do pé (“foot digit”).

Hyponyms

• dedo da mão (finger), dedo do pé (toe)

Coordinate terms

• ponto (¹⁄₉₆ dedo), linha (¹⁄₈ dedo), grão (¹⁄₄ dedo), polegada (1+¹⁄₂ dedos), palmo (12 dedos), côvado (36 dedos), vara (60 dedos), braça (120 dedos)

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• Kabuverdianu: dedu
• → Nheengatu: dedu
• Papiamentu: dede

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dědъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

dedo m anim (genitive singular deda, nominative plural dedovia, genitive plural dedov, declension pattern of chlap)

1. old man

   Synonym: starec

2. grandfather

   Synonym: starý otec

   Dedo Mráz—Grandfather Frost (inspired by the Russian Дед Мороз, a nonreligious variation of Santa)

Declension

Derived terms

• dedko

Further reading

• “dedo”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

dedo

Wikipedia ^es

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

dedo (unidad)

Wikipedia ^es

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish dedo, from Latin digitus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyǵ- (“to show, point out, pronounce solemnly”). Doublet of dígito, which was borrowed rather than inherited. Cognate with Catalan dit, Galician and Portuguese dedo, French doigt, Italian dito, Romanian deget.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdedo/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -edo
• Syllabification: de‧do

Noun

dedo m (plural dedos)

1. finger

   El pan, el queso y la fruta con dos dedos comerás; con tres también podrás; mas con cuatro ya es cosa bruta.

   Bread, cheese and fruit with two fingers thou shalt eat; with three thou also mayest; but with four it is the stuff of brutes already.

2. (anatomy) digit (a part of the body inclusive of fingers or toes)
3. thimble (a small device to protect a thumb or finger during sewing)
4. (informal) finger (the width of a finger as an approximate unit of length)
5. (historical) dedo (a traditional Spanish unit of measurement about equal to 1.75 cm)

Hyponyms

• dedo de pie (toe), dedo de mano (finger)

Coordinate terms

• (historical unit of length): punto (¹⁄₁₀₈ dedo), línea (¹⁄₉ dedo), pulgada (1+¹⁄₃ dedos), coto (6 dedos), palmo (12 dedos), pie (16 dedos), codo (24 dedos), vara (48 dedos)

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

• pulgar

Further reading

• “dedo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014