cristã

Cristã is the feminine form of cristão in Portuguese, used to describe a person who adheres to Christianity or to refer to feminine nouns related to the Christian faith. The masculine form is cristão, and the feminine plural is cristãs. The term derives from Latin Christianus, via Greek Christianos, from Christos, meaning “anointed” or “follower of Christ.”

Christianity originated in the 1st century CE in the Levant and spread throughout the Roman Empire, giving rise to several major branches, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodoxy. In Portuguese-speaking countries, Christianity has historically been dominant, with Catholicism playing a particularly influential role in Portugal and Brazil; in recent decades, Protestant and evangelical communities have grown.

In contemporary usage, cristã appears in religious discourse, education, law, and culture to describe feminine adherents or to qualify nouns related to Christianity. Examples include fé cristã (Christian faith), ética cristã (Christian ethics), and expressão such as cristã praticante (a practicing Christian). The related terms cristandade and cristianidade refer, respectively, to the Christian world or Christendom, and to Christian identity or cultural-religious tradition.

Overall, cristã functions as a key linguistic form in Portuguese to denote gendered belonging to the Christian tradition and to describe aspects associated with Christian belief and practice.