Fitas

Fitas is the plural of fita in Portuguese. The term denotes a narrow strip of material—fabric, plastic, or metal—that can be used for binding, sewing, decoration, sealing, or signaling. It also refers to various kinds of tape and strip-like media. In everyday use, fitas include adhesive tapes (fita adesiva), measuring tapes (fita métrica), and decorative ribbons such as satin ribbons (fitas de cetim) or gift ribbons.

In technology and media, fitas historically refer to magnetic tapes used for audio, video, and data storage (fitas magnéticas). Cassette tapes are known as fitas cassete, and tape backup systems use fitas de backup. In fashion and crafts, fitas serve as trims, lanyards, sashes, or hair accessories.

In cultural contexts, ribbons or fitas can denote achievement or affiliation, as in award ribbons or ceremonial bands. The term is common across Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, with regional preferences for specific types of tape or ribbon.

Etymology traces fita to Latin vitta, meaning a band or ribbon. The plural form fitas appears across domains, often retaining the sense of a narrow, flexible strip.