moinante

Galician

Etymology

Attested since 1807. From moina (“devious, tricky”) + -ante. Perhaps from Old French moine (“monk”), because of the many tricksters that during the Middle Ages used to disguise themselves as monks, most notably along the Way of Saint James. Alternatively, from Gascon Occitan amoinà (“to beg”), from Latin eleemosyna (“alms”), from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mojˈnantɪ]

Noun

moinante m (plural moinantes)

1. (derogatory) a vagabond, a beggar; an idler

   Synonym: langrán

2. (derogatory) a rogue, a rascal, a trickster

   Synonyms: truán, tunante, tuno

3. (derogatory, figurative) someone from whom low morality is presupposed

   Ollo aló, que eses son un fato de moinantes!

   Take care there, these guys are nothing but a group of rascals!

   • 1807, anonymous author, Segundo diálogo dos esterqueiros:

     Valente burro serà:
     a eses na miña terra
     unhs chamanlles Moniteros,
     é outros chaman Moinantes

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Related terms

• moina

References

• “moinante” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “moinante” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “moinante” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.