Galician

Noun

raposa f ‎(plural raposas)

1. vixen (animal)

Related terms

• raposo

Portuguese

raposa

Etymology

Borrowing from Spanish raposa ‎(“fox”), probably from Latin rāpum ‎(“turnip”) + -ōsus.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐ.ˈpo.zɐ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁa.ˈpo.zɐ/
• Hyphenation: ra‧po‧sa

Noun

raposa f (plural raposas)

1. fox (any canid of the genus Vulpes)
   • 2015, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, O Pequeno Príncipe, Pelekanos Books (ISBN 9786180400380)

     – Os homens, disse a raposa, têm fuzis e caçam. É bem incômodo!

     “The men”, said the fox, “have rifles and they hunt. It’s quite bothersome!”

2. (specifically) vixen (female fox)
3. (Brazil) opposum (any American marsupial of the family Didelphidae)
4. (usually pejorative) fox (a sly or cunning person)

Usage notes

Raposa is one of the few feminines that are used by default (when the referent’s sex is unknown or irrelevant).

Synonyms

• (fox): golpelha
• (opossum): gambá

Derived terms

• raposo
• casamento de raposa