enteado
/ẽ.teˈa.du/masculine
The English word stepchild is enteado in Portuguese.
enteado is used to refer to the child of one's spouse from his or her previous partner. Informally, you can also say filho(a) do meu/da minha companheiro(a) to mean the son or daughter of my partner.
Meaning: the child of one's spouse from his or her previous partner (noun)
Which one should you use?
While enteado refers specifically to the child of a spouse, the phrase filho de criação is often used for a child one has raised who is not biologically related.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a stepdaughter, use the feminine form enteada. For a group of stepchildren, or a mixed-gender group, the plural form is enteados.
How do you pronounce it?
enteado is pronounced /ẽ.teˈa.du/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word enteado comes from the Latin 'ante nātus', meaning 'born before'. This literally suggests the child was born before the current marriage existed.
- Brazilian law recognizes filiação socioafetiva, a legal status that allows the bond with an enteado to be treated as a legal parent-child relationship.
- To emphasize an emotional bond over a legal one, Brazilians often use the phrase filho de coração, meaning 'child of heart'.
Examples in context
- Tom era o enteado de Mary.Tom was Mary's stepchild.This sentence is useful for showing how to use enteado to identify a person's relationship to someone else.Tatoeba #1175477 by paula_guisard, translation #1092381 by CK
- Gostaria de apresentar meu enteado, João.I would like to introduce my stepson, João.
- O meu enteadinho é muito esperto.My stepson is very smart.
- O enteado dele é muito inteligente.His stepchild is very intelligent.
- Eu conheci o enteado dela ontem.I met her stepchild yesterday.
Example conversation
Juliana and Lucas are discussing their families at a cafe.
- JulianaComo está o seu enteado?How is your stepchild?
- LucasO meu enteado está muito bem.My stepchild is doing very well.
- JulianaFico feliz em saber disso.I am happy to hear that.
- LucasEle começou na escola nova.He started at the new school.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stepchild” translations and entries enteado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries enteado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
