sertão
Portuguese, noun/seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/
sertão is spelled S-E-R-T-Ã-O (6 letters) and appears 9.3 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 7,745th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Sertão is a Portuguese masculine noun meaning “The semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “zona pouco habitada do interior do Brasil, sobretudo a região semi-árida do norte-ocidental”.
What does sertão mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculineThe semi-arid, barren inland portion of northeastern Brazil.
- 2
masculineA similarly arid area in another region or country.
- 3
Brazilmasculinecountryside, backlands or outback
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
noun: 1. zona pouco habitada do interior do Brasil, sobretudo a região semi-árida do norte-ocidental 2. terreno coberto de mato, longe do litoral
noun: 1. município brasileiro do estado do Rio Grande do Sul
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.
Forms of sertão
- sertões plural
- certão alternative obsolete
- sertam alternative obsolete
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce sertão?
- Brazil /seʁˈtɐ̃w̃/
- Brazil [sehˈtɐ̃ʊ̯̃]
- /seɾˈtɐ̃w̃/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to sertão
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is sertão in Portuguese?
sertão appears 9.3 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).