terçol
/teʁˈsɔw/masculine
In Portuguese, the English phrase stye is translated as terçol. Wiktionary also lists hordéolo and treçolho.
Meaning: bacterial infection of the eyelash or eyelid (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| terçol | /teʁˈsɔw/ (Brazil) /teɾˈsɔw/ (São Paulo) |
masculine |
| hordéolo | /oʁˈdɛ.o.lu/ (Brazil) /oɾˈdɛ.o.lu/ (São Paulo) |
masculine |
| treçolho | /tɾeˈso.ʎu/ (Brazil) /tɾɨˈso.ʎu/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
The term refers to a bacterial infection of the eyelash or eyelid.
Which one should you use?
While terçol is the common way to say stye, hordéolo is the technical medical term used by doctors.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Terçol is the most common, everyday term used by native speakers in conversation. For formal or medical contexts, use hordéolo. The form treçolho is a common informal variation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The variation treçolho is used in many regions of Brazil.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms of the word are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/teʁˈsɔw/
Did you know?
- In Portuguese culture, the presence of a terçol is often colloquially attributed to 'looking at things one shouldn't'.
- The word hordéolo comes from the Latin 'hordeolus', which means 'little barley'. This refers to the way a stye looks like a grain of barley on the eyelid.
Examples in context
- Os óculos podiam ocultar um terçolho.A pair of sunglasses could hide a stye.This sentence shows how sunglasses might be used to hide a terçol.Tatoeba #2783693 by mervert1, translation #2783692 by mervert1
- Eu estou com um terçol no olho esquerdo.I have a stye in my left eye.
- Aquele terçol parece estar muito dolorido.That stye looks very painful.
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Mariana are talking in the office.
- RodrigoMariana, você viu que meu olho está inchado?Mariana, did you see that my eye is swollen?
- MarianaNossa, Rodrigo! Parece que você está com um terçol.Wow, Rodrigo! It looks like you have a stye.
- RodrigoEu acho que é isso mesmo.I think that is exactly what it is.
- MarianaVocê deveria passar uma compressa morna.You should use a warm compress.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stye” translations and entries terçol, hordéolo, treçolho, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hordéolo, terçol, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
