Portuguese

Noun

calão m (uncountable)

1. vulgar slang; argot
2. jargon (language characteristic of a particular group)
3. Caló (the language spoken by the Spanish and Portuguese Romani)
   • 1975, Arthur Ramos, As culturas européias e europeizadas, Livraria-Editora da Casa do Estudante do Brasil, page 260:

     Sua língua no Brasil é o caló, calon ou calão, que por extensão passou a ser sinônimo de gíria ou geringonça.

     Their language in Brazil is the Caló, Calon or Calão, which, by extension, became a synonym of slang or argot.

   • 2002, Hildo Honório do Couto, Anticrioulo: manifestação lingüística de resistência cultural, Thesaurus, page 20:

     Em (7) dou um exemplo do anglo-romani (a) e um do calão (calon) português(b), que está no mesmo caso, só que com gramática espanhola.

     In (7) I provide an example from Angloromani (a) and one from Portuguese Caló (calon) (b), which is in the same case, but with Spanish grammar.

   • 2009, Cristina da Costa Pereira, Os ciganos ainda estão na estrada, Rocco, page 49:

     Por meio de formas dialetais (manuche, calão), ciganos das mais diversas partes do mundo podem, contudo, se entender razoavelmente, considerando-se que têm como base linguística o romani.

     By means of dialectal forms (Manouche, Caló), gypsies from various parts of the world can, however, understand one another reasonably well, in view of the fact they have Romani as a linguistic ancestor.

Synonyms

• (argot): argot, gíria

Derived terms

• baixo calão

Etymology 2

Unknown. Possibly the same as above.

Noun

calão m (plural calões, feminine calona, feminine plural calonas)

1. an indolent individual

Synonyms

• preguiçoso, vadio, vagaba, vagabundo

Adjective

calão m ‎(feminine singular calona, masculine plural calões, feminine plural calonas, comparable)

1. indolent; lazy

Etymology 3

From cala ‎(“rope for nets”) +‎ -ão.

Noun

calão m (plural calões)

1. a type of long boat used in the Algarve for fishing tuna
2. shoulder pole (a pole with a load in each end, carried on one’s shoulder)
3. a type of fishing net, with floaters in three corners and a sinker in the fourth corner

Etymology 4

From cale ‎(“gutter”) +‎ -ão

Noun

calão m (plural calões)

1. a tile used to cover the bottom of ditches, to prevent water from being absorbed into the ground

Etymology 5

From kalam in a Tamil-Malayalam language.

Noun

calão m (plural calões)

1. a type of large container for liquids

Etymology 6

From calo ‎(“callus”) +‎ -ão

Noun

calão m (plural calões)

1. Augmentative of calo

Etymology 7

Verb

calão

1. Obsolete form of calam.