cafuné

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gentle head caress, scalp caress, child, boy, finger flick
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/kafuˈnɛ/
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A tender Brazilian head caress, with rarer regional senses for a child, a finger flick, a short or frail person, and a small stunted oil palm.

Examples

  • Entre os dendezeiros altos, o agricultor notou um cafuné.
    Among the tall oil palms, the farmer noticed a small oil palm.
  • O pescador deu manga aos cafunés da vila.
    The fisherman gave mangoes to the village children.
  • Os meninos trocavam cafunés no recreio.
    The boys traded finger flicks at recess.
  • O cafuné doeu mais pelo susto que pela força.
    The finger flick hurt more from surprise than from force.
  • A avó fez cafuné no menino até ele dormir.
    Grandma gave the boy a gentle head caress until he fell asleep.

Similar words

criança
estalinho
moleque
dendê baixo
piparote
menino
afago
garoto
carinho
dendê atrofiado

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.

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.

Similar words

Regional child or boy

noun
regional
informal
A regional Brazilian word for a child or boy, especially in Pernambuco usage.

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.

Similar words

Regional finger flick

noun
regional
informal
A regional name for a quick finger flick, especially one snapped against the earlobe.

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.

Similar words

Short or frail person

noun
people
informal
A colloquial and potentially unkind label for a short, stocky, or frail-looking person.

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.

Similar words

Small stunted oil palm

noun
agriculture
technical
A small or stunted oil palm growing among taller palms in a plantation.

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.

Similar words

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.

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