favela

favela, shantytown

noun fa-VEH-la Rare

Origin: From Brazilian Portuguese 'favela', originally a plant name used for a Rio hillside slum.

Usage Note

Favela is a loanword from Brazilian Portuguese used in French to refer specifically to Brazilian informal settlements, though it may also be applied more loosely to similar urban shantytowns elsewhere. In French journalism it is treated as feminine (une favela). The broader French term for any shantytown is bidonville.

Examples

"Il a grandi dans une favela de Rio."

Natural Translation

He grew up in a favela in Rio.

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