macacoa

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Portuguese macaco

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Latin -am

Old Galician-Portuguese -a

Portuguese -a

Portuguese macacoa

From macaco + -a.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ma.kaˈko.ɐ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐ.kɐˈko.ɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐ.kɐˈko.ɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐ.kɐˈko(w).ɐ/

• Hyphenation: ma‧ca‧co‧a

Noun

macacoa f (plural macacoas)

1. a disease that is not important, serious, or of concern

   Synonyms: achaque, piripaque

2. a disease of unknown cause

Further reading

• “macacoa”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “macacoa”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /makaˈkoa/ [ma.kaˈko.a]
• Rhymes: -oa
• Syllabification: ma‧ca‧co‧a

Noun

macacoa f (plural macacoas)

1. (Puerto Rico, uncommon) bad luck

Further reading

• “macacoa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 24th edition, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 30 October 2026
• “macacoa”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010