janela

Alternative forms

• jinela (regional), jinella (obsolete), ginela (obsolete)
• janella (obsolete)
• genela (obsolete), genella (obsolete), jenella (obsolete), jenela (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old Portuguese janella (“window”), from Vulgar Latin *januella (“window”), diminutive of Latin jānua, alternative spelling of iānua (“door, double-doored entrance”), from Iānus (“Janus, Roman god of gates and doorways”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”).

Cognate with Galician xanela and Mirandese jinela.

Compare with Mozarabic yána

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʒɐ.ˈnɛ.lɐ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒɐ.ˈnɛ.la/, /ʒɐ.ˈnɛ.lɐ/
• Hyphenation: ja‧ne‧la

Noun

janela f (plural janelas)

1. window
   • 1902, Fernando Pessoa, “Quando ela passa”:

     Quando eu me sento à janela / P'los vidros qu'a neve embaça / Vejo a doce imagem d'ela / Quando passa… passa… passa…

     When I sit at the window / I see through the panes clouded by snow / The sweet image of her / When (she) passes… passes… passes…

   Começou a chover! Fecha as janelas!

   It started raining! Shut the windows!

Verb

janela

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of janelar

   Ele janela.

   He stands by the window.

2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of janelar

   Tu aí, janela sozinho.

   You there, stand by the window by yourself.

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese janela (“window”), from Vulgar Latin *januella (“window”), diminutive of the word jānua, alternative spelling of Latin iānua (“door”).

Noun

janela

1. window

   Livru sira hanesan janela nakloke ba mundu.

   Books are open windows to the world.