leiteiro

Forms

leiteiro m (plural leiteiros, feminine leiteira, feminine plural leiteiras)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Portuguese leite + -eiro.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary and the Porto dictionary trace it instead to Latin lactārius (“of milk”), an adjective formed from lac (“milk”).^[1][5][6]

Corresponding words are Galician leiteiro, Spanish lechero and French laitier; the Spanish word is derived from the Latin adjective, the French one is formed from its noun for milk.^[7][8][1]

Semantic evolution

Houaiss dates the adjective, “giving milk”, to 1603 and the noun “person who sells milk” to 1789.^[2] Cunha dates the word to the 18th century.^[9] Morais in 1789 has both, the milk seller and plants that give a milky juice.^[10] Vieira adds the phrases cabra leiteira and espiga leiteira.^[11]

In Brazil the noun names several shrubs and trees with abundant milky latex, and a fish of the north-east.^[2][12][13] A popular sense “lucky, especially at gambling” is labelled Brazilian by Houaiss and Aurélio but is also recorded in Portugal. ^{[2][4][3][14]}

Timeline

• 1603 – first record of the adjective.^[2]
• 1789 – Morais lists the noun and the adjective.^[10] Houaiss dates the noun from this year.^[10][2]
• 1871–1874 – Vieira records cabra leiteira and espiga leiteira.^[11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Giving or producing milk; dairy: uma raça leiteira.^[2][12]
2. Carrying milk: o camião leiteiro.^[2][4]
3. Made for holding milk.^[2][5]
4. (popular) lucky, especially at gambling.^[2][3]

Noun

1. A milkman; a person who sells or delivers milk.^[2][1]
2. (Brazil, botany) A shrub of the dogbane family (Tabernaemontana affinis) with white flowers and abundant latex; also a name of other latex-bearing plants.^[2][12]
3. (Brazil) A dark armoured catfish (Rhinelepis aspera), the cascudo-preto.^[2][13]
4. (popular) A lucky person, especially at gambling.^[3]

Related words

• leite
• leitoso
• Spanish lechero

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. leiteiro
3. ^ a b c d Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, revised online edition (2023–) of the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa Contemporânea (2001), https://dicionario.acad-ciencias.pt, p. s.v. leiteiro
4. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. leiteiro
5. ^ a b Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 5629
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. lactārius
7. ^ Estraviz, Isaac Alonso, Dicionário Estraviz, https://estraviz.org, p. s.v. leiteiro
8. ^ Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. lechero
9. ^ Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. leiteiro
10. ^ a b c Silva, António de Morais (1789), Diccionario da lingua portugueza composto pelo padre D. Rafael Bluteau, reformado, e accrescentado, 2 vols., Lisboa: Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, p. 2, 14
11. ^ a b Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 3, 1282
12. ^ a b c Michaelis: Moderno Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, São Paulo: Melhoramentos (online as Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa, https://michaelis.uol.com.br), p. s.v. leiteiro
13. ^ a b Navarro, Fred (2004), Dicionário do Nordeste, São Paulo: Estação Liberdade, p. s.v. leiteiro
14. ^ Instituto da Lingua Galega, Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (TLPGP), Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/tesouro, p. s.v. leiteiro