procurar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prōcūrāre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Verb

procurar (first-person singular present procuro, first-person singular preterite procurí, past participle procurat)

1. to seek, to try, to endeavor
2. to procure, to provide

Conjugation

Derived terms

• procura

Related terms

• procuració
• procurador

Further reading

• “procurar” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “procurar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “procurar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “procurar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese procurar, from Late Latin prōcūrāre (“to manage, to administer”), from Latin prāre + cūrō (“to take care; to cure; to manage”). Cognate of English procure.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pro‧cu‧rar

Verb

procurar (first-person singular present procuro, first-person singular preterite procurei, past participle procurado)

1. (transitive) to search; to seek; to look for

   Synonym: buscar

   • 2005, Matthew D. Bauer, O Poder de Cura da Acupressura e da Acupuntura, Editora Pensamento, →ISBN, page 142:

     Se você sentir que a acupuntura incomoda, discuta o assunto com o seu acupunturista. Se não ficar satisfeito com o que ele lhe disser, procure outro acupunturista que use agulhas mais finas.

     If you feel acupuncture bothers you, discuss this with your acupuncturist. If you are not satisfied with what he tells you, look for another acupuncturist who uses thinner needles.

2. to reach out (attempt to initiate communication)
3. (auxiliary with a verb in the impersonal infinitive) to try; to attempt

   Synonym: tentar

   Procuro sempre evitar comida apimentada. ― I always try to avoid spicy food.

4. (intransitive) to work as a procurator (attorney or agent)

Usage notes

This is a false friend of English procure. The Portuguese word means primarily ‘to look for’, while the English word means primarily ‘to obtain’ and can be translated into Portuguese with obter or conseguir.

Conjugation

Related terms

Further reading

• “procurar” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “procurar” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “procurar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “procurar” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
• “procurar” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “procurar” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin prōcūrāre (“to manage, to administer”), from Latin prāre + cūrō. Cognate with English procure.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾokuˈɾaɾ/
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: pro‧cu‧rar

Verb

procurar (first-person singular present procuro, first-person singular preterite procuré, past participle procurado)

1. (catenative) to try, to attempt, to endeavor
2. to make sure, to assure
3. to obtain, to acquire

   Synonyms: adquirir, obtener

4. to work as a procurator (attorney or agent)
5. (reflexive) to secure

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

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