desportivas

Desportivas is a Portuguese term that can function as an adjective in feminine plural or as a noun in plural. It comes from desporto (sport) with the suffix -ivas. In everyday Portuguese, desportivas most often refers to sports footwear or sportswear, especially in Portugal. As a shorthand for items such as sapatos desportivos, as desportivas is used colloquially to mean sneakers or running shoes. The expression also occurs in phrases such as roupas desportivas (sportswear) or calçado desportivo (sport footwear, masculine singular).

Beyond footwear, the word can describe anything related to sport when paired with a feminine noun, for example atividades desportivas (sporting activities) or indústria desportiva (sport industry).

Regional usage varies: in Portugal and many Lusophone contexts, desportivas is common; in Brazilian Portuguese, the more frequent terms for footwear are tênis or calçados esportivos, and a less common use of desportivas as a noun may be encountered. The spelling and sense may differ with the country and formality; context is essential to interpret.