céu

See also: ceu, CEU, and ce'u

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese ceo (“sky; heaven”), from Latin caelum (“sky”), from Proto-Italic *kailom, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂i-lom (“whole”), from *keh₂i-.

Cognate with Galician ceo, Spanish cielo, Catalan cel, Occitan cèl, French ciel, Italian cielo and Romanian cer.

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈsɛw/ [ˈsɛʊ̯]

  • Rhymes: -ɛw
  • Hyphenation: céu

Noun

céu m (plural céus)

  1. sky
    O céu é azul. ― The sky is blue.
    • 1938, Graciliano Ramos, “Mudança [A New Home]”, in Vidas Seccas [Barren Lives], Rio de Janeiro: Livraria José Olympio Editora, page 13:
      Tocou o braço da mulher, apontou o ceo, ficaram os dois algum tempo aguentando a claridade do sol.
      He touched his wife’s arm, pointed at the sky, and the two stayed for some time putting up with the sun’s brightness.
    • 1965, Amália Rodrigues, Fado Português:
      O Fado nasceu um dia, / quando o vento mal bulia / e o céu o mar prolongava, / na amurada dum veleiro, / no peito dum marinheiro / que, estando triste, cantava.
      Fado was born one day, / when the wind was blowing hard / and the sky was extending the sea, / in the bulwark of a ship, / in the chest of a sailor / who, being sad, was singing.
    • 2003, J. K. Rowling, Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix, Rocco, page 246:
      Então continuaram a estudar enquanto o céu lá fora se tornava gradualmente mais escuro.
      Then they continued to study while the sky outside was becoming gradually darker.
  2. (religion, sometimes capitalized) heaven
    Ir para o céu. ― To go to heaven.
    • 1880, Maria Amalia Vaz de Carvalho, “A morte de Bertha [Bertha’s death]”, in Contos e phantasias [Short stories and fantasies]‎[1], 2nd edition, Lisbon: Parceria Antonio Maria Pereira, published 1905, page 236:
      Como é bom ir para o céo! Nunca mais hei-de ter frio!
      It feels so good to go to heaven! I’ll never feel cold again!

Usage notes

This word can be used in the singular or plural indiscriminately. Plural usage tends to be more poetic (like English skies).

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Angolar: onthe
  • Annobonese: osé
  • Guinea-Bissau Creole: seu
  • Indo-Portuguese: ceos
  • Kabuverdianu: seu
  • Korlai Creole Portuguese: sews
  • → Old Tupi: ybaka (“heaven”) (semantic loan)
  • Principense: ose
  • Sãotomense: ose

Further reading

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