They called the man a stunted little man, and he disliked it.
O bebê se acalmou com o cafuné da mãe.
The baby calmed down with the mother’s gentle head caress.
Entre os dendezeiros altos, o agricultor notou um cafuné.
Among the tall oil palms, the farmer noticed a small oil palm.
Ela pediu um cafuné depois de um dia difícil.
She asked for a gentle head caress after a hard day.
Esse cafuné já sabe ajudar na feira.
That boy already knows how to help at the market.
Similar words
pequeno
carícia
atarracado
guri
franzino
quindim
dendê baixo
dendezeiro franzino
tapinha
moleque
Meanings
Affectionate scalp caress
noun
relationships
neutral
A tender touch made by lightly scratching or stroking someone’s hair or scalp, often to soothe, comfort, or lull them to sleep.
Usage
Use cafuné for a soft head or scalp caress, not for any touch anywhere on the body.
Examples
A avó fez cafuné no menino até ele dormir.
Grandma gave the boy a gentle head caress until he fell asleep.
Ela pediu um cafuné depois de um dia difícil.
She asked for a gentle head caress after a hard day.
O cachorro fechou os olhos quando recebeu cafuné.
The dog closed its eyes when it got a gentle head caress.
Ele adora cafuné no couro cabeludo.
He loves a scalp caress on his head.
O bebê se acalmou com o cafuné da mãe.
The baby calmed down with the mother’s gentle head caress.
No sofá, os dois trocaram cafunés em silêncio.
On the sofa, the two exchanged quiet head caresses.
Um cafuné leve pode ser mais carinhoso que uma massagem.
A light head caress can feel more affectionate than a massage.
Common mistakes
The noun is treated as a verb or widened to any massage.
Incorrect
Correct
Ela fez um cafuné forte e dolorido.
Ela fez um cafuné leve e carinhoso.
Ele cafuné na criança.
Ele fez cafuné na criança.
Preciso de um cafuné no braço.
Preciso de um cafuné na cabeça.
Similar words
afago
carinho
carícia
chamotim
mimo
quindim
Regional child or boy
noun
regional
informal
A regional Brazilian word for a child or boy, especially in Pernambuco usage.
Usage
Use cafuné for a child only when the regional Brazilian sense is clear from context.
Examples
No interior de Pernambuco, chamaram o menino de cafuné.
In inland Pernambuco, they called the boy a child.
A vizinha trouxe o cafuné para brincar no terreiro.
The neighbor brought the child to play in the yard.
Os cafunés correram pela rua depois da escola.
The children ran down the street after school.
Ninguém deixou o cafuné atravessar sozinho.
Nobody let the child cross alone.
A avó ralhou com o cafuné que subiu no muro.
Grandma scolded the child who climbed the wall.
O pescador deu manga aos cafunés da vila.
The fisherman gave mangoes to the village children.
Esse cafuné já sabe ajudar na feira.
That boy already knows how to help at the market.
Common mistakes
The regional child sense is mistaken for the affectionate head-touch sense.
Incorrect
Correct
Em todo o Brasil, cafuné quer dizer menino.
Em Pernambuco, cafuné pode querer dizer menino.
Vi dois cafunés na cabeça dela.
Vi dois cafunés brincando na rua.
O cafuné adormeceu alguém.
O cafuné adormeceu no colo da avó.
Similar words
criança
menino
garoto
guri
moleque
piá
Regional finger flick
noun
regional
informal
A regional name for a quick finger flick, especially one snapped against the earlobe.
Usage
Use cafuné for the flick sense in regional contexts, and prefer peteleco in general Portuguese.
Examples
Ele levou um cafuné na orelha por brincadeira.
He got a playful ear flick.
A irmã deu um cafuné no lóbulo dele.
His sister gave him a flick on the earlobe.
O professor proibiu cafunés durante a fila.
The teacher banned finger flicks while the line formed.
O primo ameaçou dar um cafuné, mas parou.
The cousin threatened to give a finger flick, but stopped.
O cafuné doeu mais pelo susto que pela força.
The finger flick hurt more from surprise than from force.
Os meninos trocavam cafunés no recreio.
The boys traded finger flicks at recess.
Com um cafuné leve, ela chamou a atenção dele.
With a light finger flick, she got his attention.
Common mistakes
The flick sense is confused with the gentle caress sense.
Incorrect
Correct
Ele recebeu um cafuné carinhoso na orelha.
Ele recebeu um cafuné seco na orelha.
Ela fez cafuné para acalmar o amigo.
Ela deu um cafuné no lóbulo do amigo.
O cafuné foi uma massagem.
O cafuné foi um peteleco.
Similar words
peteleco
piparote
estalinho
toque
golpe leve
tapinha
Short or frail person
noun
people
informal
A colloquial and potentially unkind label for a short, stocky, or frail-looking person.
Usage
Use cafuné carefully for a person, since this rare colloquial sense can sound insulting.
Examples
O cafuné da turma compensava a pouca altura com muita voz.
The short frail fellow in the group made up for his height with a loud voice.
Chamaram o homem de cafuné, e ele não gostou.
They called the man a stunted little man, and he disliked it.
Na história, o capataz descreve o rival como cafuné.
In the story, the foreman describes his rival as a short weakling.
O apelido cafuné soou ofensivo na conversa.
The nickname stunted little man sounded offensive in the conversation.
A palavra cafuné aparece ali para marcar alguém baixo e mirrado.
The word short frail person appears there to mark someone as small and stunted.
Os dois irmãos eram altos, mas o caçula era o cafuné da família.
The two brothers were tall, but the youngest was the family’s small frail one.
No conto regional, o cafuné enfrenta homens maiores.
In the regional tale, the short frail man faces larger men.
Common mistakes
The person sense is used as a compliment or applied to a tall person.
Incorrect
Correct
O cafuné era uma criança da plantação.
O cafuné era um homem baixo e mirrado.
Ela usou cafuné como elogio delicado.
Ela evitou cafuné por soar depreciativo.
O atleta alto era o cafuné da equipe.
O homem baixo era chamado de cafuné.
Similar words
baixote
atarracado
franzino
mirrado
nanico
pequeno
Small stunted oil palm
noun
agriculture
technical
A small or stunted oil palm growing among taller palms in a plantation.
Usage
Use cafuné for a small oil palm only in agricultural or dictionary contexts where the older sense is intended.
Examples
Entre os dendezeiros altos, o agricultor notou um cafuné.
Among the tall oil palms, the farmer noticed a small oil palm.
O cafuné não recebia sol suficiente na plantação.
The stunted oil palm was not getting enough sun in the plantation.
A equipe removeu dois cafunés para abrir espaço.
The crew removed two small oil palms to make space.
Chamavam de cafuné o dendê baixo que crescia entre os outros.
They called the short palm growing among the others a stunted oil palm.
O técnico marcou cada cafuné antes da poda.
The technician marked each small oil palm before pruning.
Os cafunés indicavam falhas no plantio.
The stunted oil palms showed problems in the planting.
Um cafuné pode produzir menos que as palmeiras maiores.
A small oil palm may produce less than the larger palms.
Common mistakes
The plant sense is confused with people or with tall coconut palms.
Incorrect
Correct
O cafuné era uma pessoa baixa.
O cafuné era um dendezeiro baixo.
O agricultor fez cafuné no dendezeiro.
O agricultor marcou o cafuné na plantação.
Os cafunés eram coqueiros altos.
Os cafunés eram dendezeiros pequenos.
Similar words
dendezeiro pequeno
dendê mirrado
palmeira pequena
dendê baixo
dendezeiro franzino
dendê atrofiado
Usage
Use cafuné mainly for the affectionate head-touch sense, and mark the child, flick, person, and oil-palm senses as regional or specialized when they matter.
Common mistakes
The accent is dropped in cafune, the noun is turned into a bare verb, and the rare regional senses are often mistaken for the familiar affectionate one.
Etymology
Of uncertain origin, often connected with Kimbundu and other African-language paths into Brazilian Portuguese. Modern dictionaries mark the origin as possible rather than settled.
FAQ
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