cutucar

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

    Adapted borrowing of Old Tupi kutuk (to pierce) +‎ -ar. The social media sense is a semantic loan from English poke.

    Pronunciation

     
    • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ku.tuˈka(ʁ)/ [ku.tuˈka(h)]
      • (São Paulo) IPA(key): /ku.tuˈka(ɾ)/
      • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ku.tuˈka(ʁ)/ [ku.tuˈka(χ)]
      • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ku.tuˈka(ɻ)/
     
    • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ku.tuˈkaɾ/
      • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /ku.tuˈka.ɾi/

    • Hyphenation: cu‧tu‧car

    Verb

    cutucar (first-person singular present cutuco, first-person singular preterite cutuquei, past participle cutucado)(Brazil)

    1. (transitive) to poke (to jab with a pointed object such as a finger or a stick)
    2. (transitive, colloquial, social media) to poke (to notify another user)
      • 2014, Mônica d'Olliveira, Rodopios: Antologia, Goiânia: Filhos do Vento, →ISBN, page 19:
        Te cutuco no FB
        Pq quero
        Abs e bjs
        I poke you on FB
        Cuz I want
        Hugs and kisses

    Conjugation