Belo

Belo is a Portuguese adjective meaning beautiful or handsome. It derives from the Latin bellus and is used in modern Portuguese with masculine form Belo, feminine Bela, and plural Belos or Belas, depending on number and gender. It can modify nouns directly or function as a predicative adjective.

In everyday usage, Belo appears before or after the noun, with prenominal use common in expressions such as um belo dia (a beautiful day) or belas paisagens. The feminine form is bela, as in uma bela mulher. The word is part of the broader lexicon of beauty-related descriptors in Portuguese and often appears in literature, advertising, and speech to convey aesthetic value.

Belo is also a component in many geographic names, particularly in Brazil, where toponyms often reflect positive attributes. The most famous example is Belo Horizonte, the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, whose name translates to Beautiful Horizon. Because of its meaning, Belo frequently features in place names that aim to evoke attractiveness, charm, or grandeur.

Outside toponymy, Belo can appear as a surname or given-name element in Portuguese-speaking communities, and it may occur in names inspired by the adjective’s meaning. In general usage, however, its primary role remains descriptive, signaling beauty or quality in objects, places, or scenes.

In summary, Belo is a, and often a culturally resonant, term in Portuguese for beauty, widely seen in language and place names, with Belo Horizonte standing as the most notable example.