Portuguese

[pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-; pawr-chuh-geez, -gees, pohr-] /ˌpɔr tʃəˈgiz, -ˈgis, ˌpoʊr-; ˈpɔr tʃəˌgiz, -ˌgis, ˈpoʊr-/
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language.
noun, plural Portuguese.
2.
a native or inhabitant of Portugal.
3.
a Romance language spoken in Portugal, Brazil, and a few countries of Africa.
Abbreviation: Pg, Pg.
Origin
1580-90; < Portuguese português, Spanish portugués; see Portugal, -ese
Related forms
non-Portuguese, adjective, noun, plural non-Portuguese.
pro-Portuguese, adjective, noun, plural pro-Portuguese.
Examples from the web for Portuguese
  • It was the dominant force in the region until the arrival of the Portuguese.
British Dictionary definitions for Portuguese

Portuguese

/ˌpɔːtjʊˈɡiːz/
noun
1.
the official language of Portugal, its overseas territories, and Brazil: the native language of approximately 110 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family and is derived from the Galician dialect of Vulgar Latin
2.
(pl) -guese. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Portugal
adjective
3.
relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Portugal, its inhabitants, or their language
Word Origin and History for Portuguese
n.

1610s, the language, or a resident, of Portugal; 1660s as an adjective, from Portuguese Portuguez (see Portugal + -ese). The ending was vulgarly mistaken for a plural in English, and false singular Portugee (1830) was formed (cf. Chinee from Chinese). For Portuguese man-of-war, see man-of-war.