muque

Portuguese

Etymology

Alteration of músculo. Compare German Mucki.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmu.ki/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmu.ki/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmu.ke/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmu.kɨ/

• Rhymes: -uki, -ukɨ
• Hyphenation: mu‧que

Noun

muque m (plural muques)

1. (Brazil, informal) well-developed muscle, especially in the upper arm (e.g. the biceps)

   Ele começou a malhar hoje e já acha que tem muque...

   He started working out today and already thinks he's got muscles...

2. (Brazil, informal, figurative) strength, power, muscle

   Tem que ter muque pra carregar isso aqui!

   It takes muscle to carry this thing here!

Further reading

• “muque”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2024
• “muque”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024