alforreca

Portuguese

Etymology

From Arabic الحُرَّيْقَة (al-ḥurrayqa, the nettle), via Andalusian Arabic. Compare Maltese ħurrieq.

Pronunciation

 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /aw.foˈʁɛ.kɐ/ [aʊ̯.foˈhɛ.kɐ]
    • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /aw.foˈʁɛ.kɐ/ [aʊ̯.foˈχɛ.kɐ]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /aw.foˈʁɛ.ka/ [aʊ̯.foˈhɛ.ka]
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /al.fuˈʁɛ.kɐ/ [aɫ.fuˈʁɛ.kɐ]

  • Hyphenation: al‧for‧re‧ca

Noun

alforreca f (plural alforrecas)

  1. (Portugal, zoology) jellyfish
    Synonyms: (Brazil) água-viva, medusa
  2. (Portugal, figurative, uncommon) something inconsistent or unpleasant
    • 2014 July 21, Miguel Esteve Cardoso, “Nem por isso”, in Público[1]:
      O "nem por isso" é a alforreca das respostas negativas. O que mais enfurece nela é a falta não-absoluta de significância.
      The "not really" is the jellyfish of negative answers. What is most infuriating about it is the non-absolute lack of significance.