terebintina
/te.ɾe.bĩˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/feminine
In Portuguese, turpentine is expressed as terebintina. Wiktionary also lists aguarrás.
Meaning: volatile essential oil (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| terebintina | /te.ɾe.bĩˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/ (Brazil) /tɨ.ɾɨ.bĩˈti.nɐ/ (Portugal) |
feminine |
| aguarrás | /a.ɡwaˈʁa(j)s/ (Brazil) /a.ɡwaˈʁa(j)ʃ/ (Rio de Janeiro) |
masculine |
The term refers to the volatile essential oil.
Which one should you use?
While terebintina refers to the essential oil, aguarrás is the more common term used in hardware stores and daily life to refer to the petroleum-derived solvent (mineral spirits).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, turpentine is commonly referred to as aguarrás. In Portugal and some Portuguese-speaking African countries, trementina is the standard way to refer to turpentine.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word aguarrás is a masculine noun and requires masculine articles such as o or um.
How do you pronounce it?
/te.ɾe.bĩˈtʃĩ.nɐ/ (5 syllables, stress on the 4th syllable)
Did you know?
- The word aguarrás is masculine, meaning it must be paired with o or um despite its similarity to the feminine word água.
- The term aguarrás is believed to derive from the Latin aqua rāsis, meaning 'pitch water'.
- Portuguese distinguishes between the natural essential oil terebintina and the industrial petroleum solvent aguarrás.
Examples in context
- A terebintina é amplamente utilizada como solvente em tintas, vernizes e lacas.Turpentine is widely used as a solvent in paints, varnishes and lacquers.This sentence shows how terebintina is used as a solvent in various industrial applications.Tatoeba #12143715 by Cangarejo, translation #12143714 by Cangarejo
- No laboratório, precisamos utilizar térébintina para dissolver certas substâncias.In the laboratory, we need to use turpentine to dissolve certain substances.
- Você teria térébintina disponível?Do you have turpentine available?
- A terebintina tem um cheiro muito forte.Turpentine has a very strong smell.
Example conversation
Rodrigo is cleaning his art supplies in the studio.
- CamilaRodrigo, você precisa de terebintina?Rodrigo, do you need turpentine?
- RodrigoSim, por favor, Camila.Yes, please, Camila.
- CamilaAqui está o frasco novo.Here is the new bottle.
- RodrigoMuito obrigado pela ajuda.Thank you very much for the help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “turpentine” translations and entries terebintina, aguarrás, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aguarrás, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
