vaivém
Portuguese, noun/ˌvajˈvẽj̃/
vaivém is a Portuguese masculine noun meaning “to-and-fro motion; swaying motion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “antiga máquina de guerra, para desmoronar muralhas ou arrombar as portas das fortificações”.
What does vaivém mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculineto-and-fro motion; swaying motion
- 2
masculinecoming and going (bustle of activity)
- 3
masculineups and downs (periods of positive and negative events, moods, or interactions)
- 4
masculineinconstancy; the state of being constantly changing
- 5
masculinespace shuttle
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
noun: 1. antiga máquina de guerra, para desmoronar muralhas ou arrombar as portas das fortificações 2. aríete 3. pancada dessa máquina de guerra 4. movimento oscilatório
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 vaivém
- vaivéns plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce vaivém?
- Brazil /ˌvajˈvẽj̃/
- Brazil [ˌvaɪ̯ˈvẽɪ̯̃]
- Portugal /ˌvaj.iˈvɐ̃j̃/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
How common is vaivém in Portuguese?
vaivém appears about once in every 2 million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).