-eiro
Portuguese, suffix/ˈe(j).ɾu/
-eiro is a Portuguese masculine suffix meaning “forms nouns from nouns or verbs, denoting someone who works with the suffixed noun or engages in the suffixed verb; -er; -eer” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “exprime a ideia de ocupação, ofício”.
What does -eiro mean in English?
suffix
- 1
masculineforms nouns from nouns or verbs, denoting someone who works with the suffixed noun or engages in the suffixed verb; -er; -eer
cozinha (“kitchen”) + -eiro → cozinheiro (“cook”)
- 2
masculineforms nouns, from nouns denoting a location or type of location, meaning “someone from the location”
Brasil (“Brazil”) + -eiro → brasileiro (“Brazilian”)
- 3
masculineforms nouns from the names of fruits or other plant products, denoting the plant bearing them, usually trees and shrubs
pêssego (“peach fruit”) + -eiro → pessegueiro (“peach tree”)
- 4
masculineforms nouns, from nouns or adjectives, denoting a state, property or quality of being the suffixed adjective or having the suffixed noun; -ity, -ness
sujo (“filthy”) + -eira → sujeira (“filth”)
- 5
masculineforms nouns, from nouns, denoting a place where there is plenty of the suffixed noun
lama (“mud”) + -eiro → lameiro (“place with a lot of mud”)
- 6
masculineforms nouns, from verbs, denoting a place where the suffixed verb is likely to occur
atolar (“to bog down”) + -eiro → atoleiro (“place where vehicles bog down frequently”)
- 7
masculineforms the names of trees, often synonyms
carvalho (“oak”) + -eira → carvalheira (“English oak”)
- 8
masculineforms nouns from nouns, denoting a container for the suffixed noun
lápis (“pencil”) + -eiro → lapiseiro (“pencil case”)
suffix
- 1
forms adjectives meaning “of, from or related to the location”
Brasil (“Brazil”) + -eiro → brasileiro (“Brazilian”)
- 2
forms adjectives meaning “which transports the suffixed noun”
carga (“cargo; load”) + -eiro → cargueiro (“which transports cargo”)
- 3
forms adjectives, from nouns, denoting a fan of the suffixed noun
metal (“heavy metal”) + -eiro → metaleiro (“metalhead (relational)”)
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
suffix: 1. exprime a ideia de ocupação, ofício 2. exprime a ideia de lugar onde se guarda qualquer coisa 3. exprime a ideia de árvore, arbusto 4. exprime a ideia de intensidade, aumento
noun: 1. enguia pescada no mar
noun: 1. eira de chão de terra 2. largo onde confluem ruas
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce -eiro?
- Brazil /ˈe(j).ɾu/
- Brazil [ˈe(ɪ̯).ɾu]
- Portugal /ˈɐj.ɾu/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to -eiro
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is -eiro in Portuguese?
-eiro appears about once in every 17 million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).