Preta

Preta is a term with several distinct senses in different languages and cultural contexts. In Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, pretas are hungry ghosts, spirits of insatiable desire that inhabit a realm between the living and the dead. In some traditions, offerings of food, water, and prayers are made to relieve their suffering and to avert harm they may cause to the living.

In Portuguese, preta is the feminine form of preto and means black. It is used as an adjective to describe color and, as a noun, to refer to a Black person in Brazilian Portuguese. Usage varies by context and tone; while it can be a neutral descriptor, it can be informal or potentially offensive depending on who is speaking and how it is used. In contemporary Brazil, the word appears in everyday speech, in literature, and in popular culture.

As a given name or nickname, Preta is used by some individuals. A well-known bearer is Preta Gil, a Brazilian singer and television personality who uses Preta as a stage name. The term also appears in other cultural references and media contexts, reflecting its cross-cultural presence in religious, linguistic, and popular domains.