ao atá

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Tupi agûatá (“I walk”), later reanalyzed as ao atá by analogy with other adverbial phrases. The grapheme ⟨gû⟩ was originally pronounced [w] in Old Tupi. First attested in the 17th century.

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /aw aˈta/ [aʊ̯ aˈta]

Adverb

ao atá

  1. (Brazil) aimlessly, without direction; disoriented
    Synonym: a esmo
    • 1869, Manoel Pessoa da Silva, chapter II, in Lyra e fel, o banco e os ratos, o Soares no dique‎[1], page 25:
      « E’ andar ao atá qual caranguejo, / « Sendo, como tú és, caixeiro e mestre […]
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1930, “Dialogo quinto”, in Dialogos das grandezas do Brasil‎[2], page 236:
      E dizem os naturaes, quando se acham estes cangrejos por esta maneira, que andam ao atá, que sôa tanto como andarem lascivos.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

Further reading

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