ratel
/ʁaˈtɛw/masculine
The English phrase honey badger is translated into Portuguese as ratel or texugo-do-mel.
Meaning: Mellivora capensis (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ratel | /ʁaˈtɛw/ (Brazil) /ʁaˈtɛw/ (Rio de Janeiro) |
masculine |
| texugo-do-mel | /teˈʃu.ɡu du ˈmɛw/ (Brazil) /tɨˈʃu.ɡu du ˈmɛl/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
Both terms refer to the animal Mellivora capensis.
What does it mean word for word?
The term texugo-do-mel is a compound noun where texugo means badger and do mel means of honey.
Which one should you use?
While ratel is the technical or direct name, texugo-do-mel is the more descriptive and common way to refer to the animal in Portuguese.
How does it change in a sentence?
When pluralizing the descriptive name texugo-do-mel, only the first noun changes to texugos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁaˈtɛw/
Did you know?
- The Portuguese word ratel is borrowed from Afrikaans, which is a daughter language of Dutch spoken in South Africa.
- If you use the word ratel in a casual conversation in Portuguese, you might unintentionally sound like a scientist or biologist rather than a local.
- The honey badger is one of the few animals whose Portuguese name ratel remains nearly identical across various Lusophone countries despite regional dialect differences.
Examples in context
- Você sabia que o ratel é um dos animais mais corajosos da savana africana?Did you know that the honey badger is one of the bravest animals in the African savanna?
- Os ratéis são famosos por não temerem predadores.Honey badgers are famous for not fearing predators.
- Vamos assistir a um documentário sobre os ratéis.Let's watch a documentary about honey badgers.
- O ratel é um animal muito resistente.The honey badger is a very resilient animal.
- Eu vi um ratel em um documentário.I saw a honey badger in a documentary.
- O ratel tem uma pele muito grossa.The honey badger has very thick skin.
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Camila are watching a nature documentary.
- RodrigoOlha que animal interessante, é um ratel!Look at that interesting animal, it's a honey badger!
- CamilaEu nunca ouvi falar desse animal, Rodrigo.I have never heard of that animal, Rodrigo.
- RodrigoO ratel é conhecido por ser muito bravo.The honey badger is known for being very fierce.
- CamilaEle parece ser bem corajoso mesmo.He really seems to be quite brave.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “honey badger” translations and entries ratel, texugo-do-mel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ratel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
