See also: meniña

Portuguese

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uma menina

Etymology

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From Old Galician-Portuguese meninha, from meninho.

Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: me‧ni‧na

Noun

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menina f (plural meninas)

  1. girl (female child)
    Synonyms: garota, (Portugal) rapariga, moça, miúda, cachopa
    Doutor, é menino ou menina?
    Doctor, is it a boy or a girl?
    • 1968, “A minha menina”, performed by Os Mutantes:
      Ela é minha menina / E eu sou o menino dela / Ela é o meu amor / E eu sou o amor todinho dela
      She is my girl / And I am her boy / She is my love / And I am her whole love.
  2. young lady, miss (a title of respect for an unmarried young woman)
    Pode sentar-se aqui, menina.
    You may sit here, miss.
  3. (derogatory) an effeminate boy
  4. (Portugal, derogatory, usually in the plural) prostitute
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:prostituta
    Ele tornou-se frequentador assíduo de casas de meninas.
    He became a regular frequenter of houses of girls [brothels].

Descendants

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  • Spanish: menina

Spanish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Portuguese menina (girl), from Old Galician-Portuguese meninha (girl), from meninho (boy).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /meˈnina/ [meˈni.na]
  • Rhymes: -ina
  • Syllabification: me‧ni‧na

Noun

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menina f (plural meninas)

  1. a court maid of honour

Usage notes

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  • Not to be confused with niña (girl).

Further reading

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