Maciços

Maciços is the plural form of the Portuguese adjective maciço, which literally means “solid, dense, and hard.” The word is used to describe objects or substances that have a compact mass or massiveness, as in “uma pedra maciça” (a solid stone). In figurative speech it can refer to people with a sturdy or robust build, or to a thick and thickening substance such as a dense sauce or a custard that has solidified.

The adjective derives from the Latin macīca, meaning “block, mass.” It entered the Portuguese language in the late Middle Ages and has been in regular use ever since, often contrasted with the softer or more liquid (“mole” in Portuguese). In scientific contexts maciço is commonly used in geology, biology, and chemistry to denote compacted sedimentary masses or dense structures.

In contemporary Portuguese, maciço is sometimes shortened colloquially to the suffix “-ciço,” yielding the form maciço. The plural maciços follows normal noun pluralization rules. Despite its technical usage, maciço is also employed in everyday speech to describe something that feels heavy or dense, as in “o café estava maciço” (the coffee was thick). The term retains the same meaning across both European and Brazilian Portuguese.