Portugal
(ˈpɔətjʊgəl)
Forms: α. 5–6 Portyngale, 6 -gall, -ggale, Portingaill, 7 -galle, 5–9 -gale, 6–9 -gal(l. β. 6–7 Portugale, -gall(e, 7 -gual, 6– Portugal.
[a. Pg. (= Sp., F., etc.) Portugal, earlier Portucal, ad. med.L. Portus Cale, the port of Gaya, Oporto. Alfonso, Count of Portucalé, became the first king of Portugal. Cf. MDu. Portegale. The form Portingale is perh. to be compared with nightingale from nihtegale; but cf. OF. Portingalois Portuguese.]
1. A country in the west of the Iberian peninsula.
| α c 1386 Chaucer Epil. Nun's Pr. T. 13 Him nedeth nat his colour for to dyghen With brasile ne with greyn of Portyngale. c 1435 (title) Torrent of Portyngal, Here bygynneth a good tale Of Torrente of Portyngale. ? a 1550 Sir A. Barton in Surtees Misc. (1888) 72 Full longe against Portingaill they weare. a 1618 Raleigh Apol. 9 A French Shallop which he tooke in the Bay of Portingall. 1824 Byron Juan xvi. xlv, With ‘Tu mi chamas's’ from Portingale. |
| β 1553 Eden Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.) 13 The Kynge of Portugall subdued this cytie. 1588 (title) A true Discourse of the Armie which the King of Spaine caused to be assembled in the Hauen of Lisbon, in the Kingdome of Portugall..against England. |
† 2. A native or inhabitant of Portugal; a Portuguese.
Obs.| a 1497 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 383 Item,..in Dunbertane, to the Portingales in almous,..xviij.s. 1582 J. Hester Secr. Phiorav. ii. xxxii. 111 Among a number of other, I cured a Portingale. 1600 Abp. Abbot Exp. Jonah 210 The late discoveries of the Portingales and the Spaniards. |
| β 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 285 Y⊇ Portugalles, whose countree is called in latine Lusitania. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia v. 196 A company of poore distressed Portugals and Spaniards. 1707 Sloane Jamaica I. 253 In Ferdinando de Soto's expedition..written by a Portugal of Elvas. |
† 3. The Portuguese language.
Obs.| 1588 Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 251 A man, who was a Chino..and could speake Portugal. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 9 Their Speech is broken Portugal. |
† 4. = portague, the coin.
Obs.| 1546–7 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 255 M{supr} Palmer to have a portyngall of golde for his paynes. |
† 5. ? A sweetmeat from Portugal.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1560 H. Machyn Diary 10 June (Camden) 237 Pepyns and marmelade, and sukett, comfets, and portynggalles and dyvers odur dyssys. |
6. attrib. or as adj. a. = Portuguese A.
| α 1498 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 388 Giffen to the Portingale man of the west see for the brokin schip that the King bocht. 1545 Rates of Customs C ij b, Portyngale skynnes the dossen. 1601 W. Parry Trav. Sir A. Sherley 27 There came news of a Portingall fryer. 1655 (title) The Lusiad..written In the Portingall Language by Luis De Camoens..put into English By Richard Fanshawe. |
| β 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa iii. 178 He learned the Portugall-language most exactly. a 1691 Boyle Hist. Air (1692) 202 A man of letters, that divers times crossed the line in great Portugal ships. 1719 De Foe Crusoe (1840) I. iii. 42, I had met with the Portugal captain. |
b. in names of products,
esp. species and varieties of plants, as
Portugal onion;
Portugal crakeberry,
Corema alba or lusitanicum: see
quot.;
Portugal laurel, an evergreen shrub,
Prunus lusitanica, native to Spain and Portugal;
Portugal onion, a variety of onion,
esp. young seedlings of this variety used as spring onions;
Portugal oyster = Portuguese oyster;
Portugal peach,
P. quince, local varieties of these fruits.
| 1866 Treas. Bot., Corema, *Portugal Crakeberry. An erect much-branched low shrub of rigid habit, closely allied to Empetrum. |
| 1754 Catal. Seeds in Fam. Rose Kilravock (Spald. Club) 427 *Portugal laurel. 1839 Selby in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club I. No. 7. 191 The Portugal Laurel..was not..injured. 1914 W. J. Bean Trees & Shrubs Hardy in Brit. Isles II. 241 In all but the coldest parts of Great Britain the Portugal laurel is one of the handsomest and most effective of evergreens. 1972 F. Perry Flowers of World 262/1 The Portugal Laurel..makes a tree of 3–6 m (10–20 ft) with long-elliptic evergreen leaves and large racemes of dull white, heavily scented flowers. |
| 1647 W. Lilly Christian Astrol. ii. liv. 398, I..heavily complained to the woman for seven *Portugall Onyons which I lost; she not knowing what they were, made pottage with them, as she said. 1783 J. Woodforde Diary 21 Nov. (1926) II. 107 Mr. Priest..made me this morning a Present of a fine String of the real Portugal Onions 20 in No. 1833 Chambers's Edin. Jrnl. 20 Apr. 96/2 A root of rye, size of a Portugal onion. 1845 E. Acton Mod. Cookery iii. 97 The meat may then be stewed..with a Portugal onion. 1885 W. Miller tr. Vilmorin-Andrieux's Veget. Garden 363 White Portugal Onion... Bulb of a dull-white colour. 1890 J. R. Philpots Oysters I. xxiv. 570 The *Portugal oyster has appeared for the last two or three years in our markets. |
| 1664 Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense in Sylva 72 August... Fruits in Prime... *Portugal Peach, Crown Peach, Bourdeaux Peach. |
| 1629 J. Parkinson Parad. iv. xx. 589 The *Portingall Apple Quince is a great yellow Quince... The Portingall Peare Quince is not fit to be eaten rawe like the former. 1706 Evelyn Kal. Hort. Nov. 120 The Suckers of the Portugal Quince. 1887 Nicholson's Dict. Gard., Portugal Quince,..Cydonia vulgaris lusitanica. |
Hence
† ˈPortingaler,
† Portuˈgallian, a Portuguese;
ˈPortugalism, adherence to Portugal.
| a 1451 Fortescue Wks. (1869) 552 Almaner Lumbardds,..Spaynarrds, and Portyngalers. 1479–81 Rec. St. Mary at Hill 95 For the Buryyng of a portyngaler. 1601–2 W. Fulbecke 1st Pt. Parall. 21 The Portugallians make villaines of the Mahometistes which they sell by companies. 1676 in J. T. Wheeler Madras (1862) III. 419/1 [Portuguese Padrys] who used to entail Portugalism as well as Christianity on all their converts. |