Etymology Map
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Favela

3 stages from Portuguese to English.

Today it means an informal settlement or shantytown in Brazil

Where does the word "favela" come from? It comes from Portuguese favela, passing through Brazilian Portuguese before entering English (1900s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
favela
Portuguese · 1800s
"a thorny backlands shrub"
a thorny shrub (Cnidoscolus quercifolius) covering the Morro da Favela hill at Canudos, in the Bahian backlands, where the army besieged Antônio Conselheiro's settlement in 1896-97
2
Stage 2 of 3
favela
Brazilian Portuguese · 1897
"hillside shantytown"
soldiers back from Canudos, promised housing that never came, settled a hill in Rio de Janeiro and called it Morro da Favela; the name spread to every such settlement
3
Stage 3 of 3
favela
English · 1900s
"Brazilian shantytown"
used for Brazilian shantytowns; the 2002 film City of God, set in Rio's Cidade de Deus, made the word widely known abroad
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Read the full story

Favela’s story begins in Portuguese: favela meant “a thorny backlands shrub.” A thorny shrub (Cnidoscolus quercifolius) covering the Morro da Favela hill at Canudos, in the Bahian backlands, where the army besieged Antônio Conselheiro's settlement in 1896-97. By 1897, the word had taken hold in Brazilian Portuguese as favela. Soldiers back from Canudos, promised housing that never came, settled a hill in Rio de Janeiro and called it Morro da Favela; the name spread to every such settlement. It reached English by 1900s as favela. Used for Brazilian shantytowns; the 2002 film City of God, set in Rio's Cidade de Deus, made the word widely known abroad. Today, favela means an informal settlement or shantytown in Brazil.