água-viva
/ˌa.ɡwɐˈvi.vɐ/feminine
The English word jellyfish is translated into Portuguese as água-viva. Wiktionary also lists medusa and alforreca.
Meaning: aquatic animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| água-viva | /ˌa.ɡwɐˈvi.vɐ/ (Brazil) /ˌa.ɡwɐˈvi.vɐ/ (Portugal) |
feminine |
| medusa | /meˈdu.zɐ/ (Brazil) /mɨˈdu.zɐ/ (Portugal) |
feminine |
| alforreca | /al.fuˈʁɛ.kɐ/ (Portugal) | feminine |
The term is used to refer to the aquatic animal.
What does it mean word for word?
The compound noun água-viva literally translates to 'living water'.
Which one should you use?
Água-viva is the most common, everyday term for jellyfish used by most Portuguese speakers. In contrast, medusa is a more technical or scientific term often used in biological contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
All forms provided are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of água-viva is /ˌa.ɡwɐˈvi.vɐ/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word alforreca has surprising roots in Arabic, deriving from the word for 'the nettle' to describe the stinging sensation.
- While água-viva is common in Brazil, in Portugal you will often hear the word alforreca used to describe the same creature.
- The term medusa comes from the Greek myth of the gorgon whose hair was made of snakes, reflecting the tentacle-like appearance of the animal.
Examples in context
- Fui queimado por uma água-viva.I was stung by a jellyfish.This sentence is useful for describing being stung by an água-viva.Tatoeba #12647419 by jvlopes91, translation #9795608 by CK
- Tom foi queimado por uma água-viva.Tom got stung by a jellyfish.Tatoeba #5837697 by bill, translation #3439636 by CK
- A maioria das ferroadas de água-viva não é mortal, no entanto muitas são bem dolorosas.Most jellyfish stings aren't deadly, but many are pretty painful nonetheless.This sentence is useful for discussing the pain and lethality of an água-viva sting.Tatoeba #3467694 by piterkeo, translation #3154167 by Vanilla
- O oceanógrafo estudou as águas-vivas na costa brasileira.The oceanographer studied jellyfish on the Brazilian coast.
- O dicionário local lista "camurupim" como uma das formas populares de se referir à medusa.The local dictionary lists "camurupim" as one of the popular forms of referring to jellyfish.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Lucas are walking along the beach.
- JulianaLucas, olha aquela água-viva ali!Lucas, look at that jellyfish over there!
- LucasÉ linda, mas parece perigosa.It is beautiful, but it looks dangerous.
- JulianaNão vamos chegar perto da água-viva.Let's not get close to the jellyfish.
- LucasVocê tem razão, Juliana.You are right, Juliana.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jellyfish” translations and entries água-viva, medusa, alforreca, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alforreca, água-viva, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
