🇵🇹Portuguese Source WordCode: PT

cavaquinho

Pronunciation / Transliteration: kavaˈkiɲu

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Cavaquinho/ˌkɑːvəˈkiːnjuː/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #14500 frequency
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🇵🇹 Example Sentence in Portuguese:

"Ele toca cavaquinho com muita destreza na roda de samba."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A small, traditional Portuguese and Brazilian stringed musical instrument of the guitar family, featuring four wire strings and played with a pick or fingers.

    "The lively rhythm of the samba band was driven by the crisp strumming of the cavaquinho."
  2. 2

    An ancestral ancestor of the modern ukulele, introduced to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira in the late 19th century.

    "Linguists and music historians note that the Hawaiian ukulele was directly developed from the traditional cavaquinho."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Borrowed directly from Portuguese cavaquinho, a diminutive of cavaco (meaning a piece of wood or chip), reflecting the instrument's wooden construction. The term gained international currency through the global popularity of Brazilian music genres such as samba and choro, where the instrument serves a fundamental harmonic and rhythmic role.

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