Encaixaram

Encaixaram is the third-person plural pretérito perfeito form of the Portuguese verb encaixar, meaning they fit or they matched. The term is used when referring to objects or elements that were placed to fit into a space, or to ideas, plans, or data that align or are coherent with one another.

Etymology: encaixar comes from em (into) + caixar (to box or cram), reflecting the notion of fitting pieces together like parts in a box. The sense broadened from physical fitting to include alignment and concordance in broader contexts.

Usage: the word is commonly applied to physical fitting, such as encaixar peças or encaixar objetos in a espaço, as well as to metaphorical fitting, for example encaixar informações or ideias to form a coherent whole. Examples: “As peças do móvel encaixaram perfeitamente”; “as informações não se encaixaram”; “os planos encaixaram-se com o orçamento”.

Grammar: encaixaram is a regular form of encaixar in the pretérito perfeito do indicativo. The reflexive form encaixaram-se is used when the subject and the action are viewed as fitting themselves or becoming aligned, as in planos que encaixaram-se com as prioridades.

Synonyms and nuance: related verbs include caber, ajustar and alinhar. Encaixar emphasizes a precise fit or coherent alignment of components, whether tangible or abstract, whereas caber can be more general about fit within a space and ajustar about adjusting or fine-tuning. In both Brazilian and European Portuguese, encaixar is widely understood with these senses.