gambá

See also: gamba, gambă, and gâmba

Portuguese

gambá (Didelphis albiventris) (sense 1)

gambá (Conepatus semistriatus) (sense 2)

Etymology

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Unknown, with some attributing it to a supposedly Old Tupi gãbá, from gua (“chest, belly”) +‎ ambá (“hollow”). Teodoro Sampaio, cites *emba (“hollow”, noun) as the first compound of embaúba, adapting Guaraní *ẽb from one of Montoya's works. Bertoni cites *ambá (“hollow”, adjective), but gives no sources.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɡɐ̃ˈba/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɡɐ̃ˈba/

• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: gam‧bá

Noun

gambá m or f (plural gambás)

1. opossum (any species in the family Didelphidae)

   Synonyms: (Bahia) saruê, (North Brazil) mucura, (Ceará) caçaco, (Pernambuco) timbu

2. skunk (any species in the family Mephitidae)

   Synonyms: cangambá, doninha-fedorenta

3. (Brazil, figurative) drunkard
4. (Brazil, figurative, soccer, derogatory) a player or supporter of Corinthians football team
5. (South Brazil, figurative) a stinky person, stinker

Usage notes

• Despite having various diferent names across Brazil, gambá is seen as the "neutral name" for the taxon and is usually the one chosen in papers or any publicity aiming for the whole country.

Derived terms

• bêbado como um gambá
• comer gambá errado
• fazer gambá
• gambá caseiro
• gambá-de-orelha-branca
• gambá-de-orelha-preta
• saco-de-gambá

 

Noun

gambá m (plural gambás)

1. a kind of drum consisting of a hollow log covered at one end
2. a kind of dance whose music uses this drum

Noun

gambá f (plural gambás)

1. (Piauí, collective, usually derogatory) rabble (mass of common people)

   Synonym: ralé

Adjective

gambá m or f (plural gambás)

1. (slang) drunk as a skunk

Further reading

• gambá on the Portuguese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^pt
• “gambá” in Dicionário inFormal.