meigo

Galician

FWOTD – 25 September 2016

Etymology

Attested since 1175 (meigu). From Old Galician-Portuguese, from Latin magicus (“magical”), from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós). Compare Portuguese meigo, Spanish mego.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmej.ɣo̝/

Adjective

meigo (feminine meiga, masculine plural meigos, feminine plural meigas)

1. bewitching, seductive

Noun

meigo m (plural meigos, feminine meiga, feminine plural meigas)

1. a wizard, a witch doctor
   • 2013, David D. Vázquez Álvarez, Ninguén nace antetempo, Baía Edicións, page 103:

     —as palabras do meigo unha vez máis non deixaban lugar a dúbidas—.

     —once again, the wizard’s words left no room for doubt.

2. a person who is believed to have made a pact with the devil
   • 1991, Ramón Otero Pedrayo, A romaría de Xelmírez, Editorial Galaxia, page 143:

     De aí xurdiu posteriormente a lenda de que fora un meigo que fixera pauto co demo para obte-las sedes de Reims, Ravena e Roma.

     From there, a legend later appeared stating that he was a warlock who made a pact with the devil in order to obtain the seats of Reims, Ravenna and Rome.

Usage notes

Some people make a distinction between meigo (“someone who makes potions, herbal cures, enchantments, etc.”) and bruxo (“someone who has made a pact with the devil”).

Descendants

• Spanish: meigo

References

• Ernesto González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “meigo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• “meigo” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “meigo” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “meigo” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese meigo, from Latin magicus (“magical”), from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós). Doublet of mágico, a borrowing. Cf. also Leti (Cameroon) meigo; compare Galician meigo, Spanish mego.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈme(j).ɡu/ [ˈme(ɪ̯).ɡu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈme(j).ɡu/ [ˈme(ɪ̯).ɡu]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈme(j).ɡo/ [ˈme(ɪ̯).ɡo]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐj.ɡu/ [ˈmɐj.ɣu]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐj.ɡu/ [ˈmɐj.ɣu]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmej.ɡu/ [ˈmej.ɣu]
  • (Central Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmej.ɡu/ [ˈmej.ɣu]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈme.ɡu/ [ˈme.ɣu]

• Hyphenation: mei‧go

Adjective

meigo (feminine meiga, masculine plural meigos, feminine plural meigas, comparable, comparative mais meigo, superlative o mais meigo or meiguíssimo, diminutive meiguinho)

1. sweet, lovely

   Synonym: querido

2. caring, gentle

   Synonyms: carinhoso, suave

Related terms

• mago

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Galician meigo, from Old Galician-Portuguese meigo, from Latin magicus (“magical”), from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós). Compare also mego. Doublet of mágico.

Noun

meigo m (plural meigos)

1. (NW Spain) a person who is believed to have made a pact with the devil

Further reading

• “meigo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014