C2 · 61 words
Light, colour, surface in Portuguese
Words for what the eye actually sees, instead of bright and shiny.
Practise this list
From these 61 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
The ninth entry is ofuscar, and English owns the word without being able to use it here. Both sides come from Late Latin offuscare, built on fuscus, dark: to put a shadow over something. Portuguese kept that at the level of light, and the sense it arrived at looks like the opposite only until one thinks about it: the quickest way to darken what somebody sees is to give them far too much of it — a neve ofusca quem não traz óculos escuros is snow doing exactly that, and a welding arc does it too. English borrowed the same verb straight out of the books and spent it entirely on words. « To obfuscate » now means to make an account deliberately hard to follow, and it is nearly always an accusation: a minister obfuscates, a contract obfuscates, and nothing anywhere is any brighter or darker for it. So the cognate is a trap in one direction only. Coming from Portuguese one has to change verb altogether — « to dazzle » for the snow, « to blind » for the headlamp — and keep « obfuscate » for the sentence that was written to be misread.
The words
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Verb (11)
incandescerto glow without flameVerbC2
A brasa incandesce sob a cinza.The embers glow under the ash.
reluzirto shine steadilyVerbC2
O tampo de metal reluz depois de limpo.The metal top shines once it has been cleaned.
luzirto glisten with wetVerbC2
As pedras da calçada luzem com a chuva.The paving stones glisten with the rain.
faiscarto sparkleVerbC2
O aço faiscou sob a luz da oficina.The steel sparkled under the workshop light.
tremeluzirto shimmer with heatVerbC2
O ar tremeluz sobre o asfalto quente.The air shimmers over the hot tarmac.
bruxulearto flicker faintlyVerbC2
Uma luz fraca bruxuleia ao fundo do corredor.A faint light flickers at the end of the corridor.
tremularto waverVerbC2
A chama da vela tremula ao mínimo sopro.The candle flame wavers at the slightest breath.
relampejarto flashVerbC2
O céu relampejou por um instante.The sky flashed for an instant.
ofuscarto dazzleVerbC2
A neve ofusca quem não traz óculos escuros.Snow dazzles anyone who has no sunglasses with them.
encandearto glare into the eyesVerbC2
Os faróis encandeiam o condutor que vem em frente.The headlights glare into the eyes of the driver coming the other way.
cintilarto twinkleVerbC2
As estrelas cintilam quando o ar está agitado.The stars twinkle when the air is unsettled.
Adjective (29)
Grammar for these: Adjective agreement · Where the adjective stands
iluminado por trásbacklitAdjectiveC2
O vidro iluminado por trás perde toda a cor.Backlit glass loses all its colour.
diáfanogauzyAdjectiveC2
O tecido é tão diáfano que se vê a mão através dele.The fabric is so gauzy that a hand shows through it.
iridescenteiridescentAdjectiveC2
A superfície da poça ficou iridescente.The surface of the puddle turned iridescent.
saturadosaturatedAdjectiveC2
O vermelho do cartaz é demasiado saturado.The red on the poster is too saturated.
esbatidomutedAdjectiveC2
A sala foi pintada num verde esbatido.The room was painted a muted green.
vívidovividAdjectiveC2
O azul da porta ainda está vívido.The blue of the door is still vivid.
esmaecidofadedAdjectiveC2
O toldo está esmaecido do lado do sol.The awning has faded on the sunny side.
tingidotintedAdjectiveC2
O verniz tingido escurece um pouco a madeira.Tinted varnish darkens the wood a little.
esbranquiçadooff-whiteAdjectiveC2
A parede ficou esbranquiçada, não branca.The wall came out off-white rather than white.
antracitecharcoal greyAdjectiveC2
O casaco antracite disfarça as manchas.The charcoal grey coat hides the marks.
ocreochreAdjectiveC2
As casas da praça são ocre.The houses on the square are ochre.
carmesimcrimsonAdjectiveC2
O forro do estojo é carmesim.The lining of the case is crimson.
azul-petróleopetrol blueAdjectiveC2
As duas paredes ficaram azul-petróleo.The two walls ended up petrol blue.
malvamauveAdjectiveC2
Trouxe um lenço malva.She brought a mauve scarf.
grenáburgundyAdjectiveC2
A capa do livro é grená.The cover of the book is burgundy.
castigado pelo tempoweatheredAdjectiveC2
O portão está castigado pelo tempo.The gate is weathered.
puídoworn thinAdjectiveC2
O braço do sofá está puído.The arm of the sofa is worn thin.
polidopolishedAdjectiveC2
O corrimão polido escorrega na mão.The polished handrail slips in the hand.
brunidoburnishedAdjectiveC2
A fivela está brunida de tanto uso.The buckle has been burnished by constant use.
sedososilkyAdjectiveC2
O papel é sedoso ao toque.The paper is silky to the touch.
caneladoflutedAdjectiveC2
O copo canelado não escorrega.The fluted glass does not slip.
granuladocoarse-grainedAdjectiveC2
O reboco granulado esconde as falhas.Coarse-grained render hides the flaws.
aveludadovelvetyAdjectiveC2
A folha da planta é aveludada por baixo.The leaf of the plant is velvety underneath.
vítreoglassyAdjectiveC2
A fratura da pedra é vítrea.The fracture of the stone is glassy.
gordurosogreasyAdjectiveC2
O puxador ficou gorduroso.The handle has got greasy.
peganhentoslightly stickyAdjectiveC2
A resina deixa o dedo peganhento.Resin leaves the finger slightly sticky.
maleávelmalleableAdjectiveC2
O chumbo é maleável e cede à pressão.Lead is malleable and gives under pressure.
dúctilductileAdjectiveC2
O fio de cobre é dúctil e não parte.Copper wire is ductile and does not snap.
hirtorigidAdjectiveC2
O cabo gelou e ficou hirto.The cable froze and went rigid.
Phrase (1)
projetar sombrato cast a shadowPhraseC2
A varanda projeta sombra sobre a mesa toda a tarde.The balcony casts a shadow over the table all afternoon.
Noun (f) (7)
Grammar for these: Definite article: o, a, os, as · Contractions: do, na, ao, pelo
a silhuetathe outline against the lightNoun (f)C2
Contra a janela via-se apenas a silhueta.Against the window only the outline could be seen.
a luz ambientethe ambient lightNoun (f)C2
A luz ambiente chega para ler, mas não para coser.The ambient light is enough for reading but not for sewing.
a luz difusathe diffused lightNoun (f)C2
Num dia de nevoeiro há apenas luz difusa.On a foggy day there is only diffused light.
a luz dirigidathe directed lightNoun (f)C2
A luz dirigida marca cada risco da madeira.Directed light picks out every scratch in the wood.
a temperatura de corthe colour temperatureNoun (f)C2
As duas lâmpadas têm temperatura de cor diferente.The two bulbs have a different colour temperature.
a cor complementarthe complementary colourNoun (f)C2
A cor complementar faz o desenho saltar da folha.The complementary colour makes the drawing jump off the page.
a pátinathe patinaNoun (f)C2
A pátina do bronze não se limpa.The patina on the bronze is not cleaned off.
Noun (m) (13)
Grammar for these: Definite article: o, a, os, as · Contractions: do, na, ao, pelo
o poder de coberturathe covering powerNoun (m)C2
Esta tinta tem pouco poder de cobertura.This paint has little covering power.
o vidro foscothe frosted glassNoun (m)C2
A porta da casa de banho tem vidro fosco.The bathroom door has frosted glass.
o tom quentethe warm toneNoun (m)C2
A cozinha pede um tom quente.The kitchen calls for a warm tone.
o tom friothe cool toneNoun (m)C2
Num tom frio a sala parece maior.In a cool tone the room looks bigger.
o tom neutrothe neutral toneNoun (m)C2
Escolheram um tom neutro para o corredor.They chose a neutral tone for the hallway.
o pigmentothe pigmentNoun (m)C2
O pigmento assenta no fundo do frasco.The pigment settles at the bottom of the jar.
o corantethe dyeNoun (m)C2
O corante saiu na primeira lavagem.The dye came out in the first wash.
o vernizthe varnishNoun (m)C2
O verniz amarelece com os anos.The varnish yellows over the years.
o brilho suavethe soft sheenNoun (m)C2
A seda tem um brilho suave, quase nenhum.Silk has a soft sheen, almost none at all.
o brilho naturalthe natural lustre of a materialNoun (m)C2
A cera realça o brilho natural da madeira.Wax brings out the natural lustre of the wood.
o acabamento matethe matt finishNoun (m)C2
Pediram um acabamento mate para as portas.They asked for a matt finish on the doors.
o acabamento brilhantethe gloss finishNoun (m)C2
O acabamento brilhante mostra todas as dedadas.A gloss finish shows every fingerprint.
o sentido do veiothe direction of the grainNoun (m)C2
Lixe sempre no sentido do veio.Always sand in the direction of the grain.
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This list belongs to Language, style and argument — 30 lists and 1 225 words that can also be practised as a whole.