mesmo

See also: mêsmo

Asturian

Adjective

mesmo

1. neuter singular of mesmu

Galician

Alternative forms

• mismo

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese mesmo / meesmo / miismo, from Vulgar Latin *metipsimus, from Latin -met (“emphatic suffix”) + ipse (“himself”) + -issimus (“superlative suffix”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛsmo/ [ˈmɛz̺.mʊ], (dialectal) /ˈmiɾmo/ [ˈmiɾ.mʊ]
• Rhymes: -ɛsmo, -iɾmo

Adjective

mesmo (feminine mesma, masculine plural mesmos, feminine plural mesmas)

1. same
2. self

Adverb

mesmo

1. even
   • 1955, Alfonso Gayoso, Os fidalgos de Rante, Buenos Aires: Edicións Miño, page 47:

     Mesmo pareces unha meixengra en día de choiva.

     You even look as a titmouse in a rainy day

2. exactly; precisely as stated

Conjunction

mesmo

1. although

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “meesmo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “meesm”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “miism”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• “mesmo”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “mesmo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “mesmo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “mesmo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• mêsmo (superseded)
• memo, mermo (eye dialect)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese mesmo, from earlier Old Galician-Portuguese meesmo, from Vulgar Latin of Iberia *medesmo, from proto-Romanic forms as *medessimu, from *medissimu, from *medipsimu, from Vulgar Latin *metipsimus, from a previous *metipsissīmus, derived from Latin -met (emphatic suffix) + ipse (“himself”) + -issimus (superlative suffix). Compare with Spanish mismo, French même.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmez.mu/, (informal) /ˈmẽ.mu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmez.mu/, (informal) /ˈmẽ.mu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈmeʒ.mu/, (informal) /ˈmeʁ.mu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmez.mo/, (informal) /ˈme.mo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmeʒ.mu/, (informal, unstressed) /ˈme.mu/

• Audio (Brazil):

  (file)

• Audio (Portugal):

  (file)

• Audio (Northern Portugal):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mes‧mo

Noun

mesmo m (uncountable)

2. the same

   O mesmo ocorreu hoje.

   The same happened today.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:mesmo.

Derived terms

• dar no mesmo
• mesmíssimo

Adjective

mesmo (feminine mesma, masculine plural mesmos, feminine plural mesmas)

2. same (not different; not another)

   Vi a mesma árvore novamente.

   I saw the same tree again.

4. same (similar; alike; analogous)

   Synonym: igual

   Tens os mesmos olhos que eu.

   You have the same eyes as I do.

6. used as an intensifier

   Synonym: próprio (after nouns)

   O cidadão mesmo que o prendeu.

   The citizen himself arrested him.

   Eu mesmo fiz o bolo.

   I baked the cake myself.

   O que eu vi é esse mesmo.

   The one I saw is this one indeed.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:mesmo.

Derived terms

• mesmice (noun)
• o mesmo

Adverb

mesmo (not comparable)

2. really; actually; in fact

   Synonyms: de fato, na realidade, realmente, verdadeiramente

   O que quero mesmo é tomar um banho.

   What I want really is to have a shower.

   É mesmo rara esta ave?

   Is this bird really rare?

   Mesmo?

   Really?

3. simply, just

   A vida é assim mesmo.

   That's just how life is.

5. even (implying an extreme example in the case mentioned)

   Synonyms: até, até mesmo

   Mesmo as aranhas menores podem matar.

   Even the smallest spiders can kill.

7. (following an adverb denoting time) intensifies the fact that an act occurred, occurs or will occur during that time; right; precisely

   Amanhã mesmo enviar-lhe-ei o documento.

   I will send him the document precisely tomorrow.

   Farei agora mesmo.

   I will do it right now.

9. (following an adverb denoting a location) emphasises the preciseness of a location; right

   Ocorreu aqui mesmo.

   It happened right here.

11. (sentence-final) again (used to ask for forgotten information)

    Como era seu nome mesmo?

    What was your name again?

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:mesmo.

Derived terms

• até mesmo
• ensimesmado
• ensimesmar
• mesmice
• mesmidade
• mesmidão
• mesmismo
• mesmo assim
• mesmo com
• mesmo que

Conjunction

mesmo

2. though; although (despite the fact that); despite being

   Synonyms: embora, apesar de

   Mesmo sendo cedo, irei para casa.

   Although it is early, I will go home.

   Mesmo pobre, sempre conseguiu alimentar seus filhos.

   Despite being poor, he was always able to feed his children.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:mesmo.

Descendants

• Angolar: me
• Annobonese: mismu
• Guinea-Bissau Creole: mesmu, memu
• Indo-Portuguese: mesmo
• Kabuverdianu: mésmu, mèz
• Korlai Creole Portuguese: medz
• Kristang: mesu
• Principense: mesu
• Sãotomense: me
• Papiamentu: mes

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmesmo/ [ˈmez.mo]
• Rhymes: -esmo
• Syllabification: mes‧mo

Adjective

mesmo (feminine mesma, masculine plural mesmos, feminine plural mesmas)

1. (obsolete outside New Mexico) Alternative form of mismo

Further reading

• “mesmo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10