encarecendo

Encarecendo is the gerund form of the Portuguese verb encarecer, meaning to become or to make more expensive. It denotes an ongoing process in which prices or costs rise, rather than a single discrete change. The term is mainly used to describe dynamics of price increases in real time or in descriptive passages about trends.

In usage, encarecendo can be placed in sentences such as "Os preços estão encarecendo" to indicate that prices are currently increasing, or in economic descriptions like "o encarecimento dos insumos" to refer to the phenomenon. It can apply to goods, services, or inputs and is frequently linked to inflation, supply shocks, or policy effects. In formal writing, eschewing the gerund in favor of encarecimento (the noun) or apenas aumento de preços is common, but encarecendo remains appropriate when emphasizing the ongoing nature of the change.

Etymology and nuance: encarecer comes from the prefix en- plus caro (expensive), with encarecendo functioning as a gerund that highlights process and continuity. Its use signals a developing trend rather than a completed event, making it stylistically distinct from simply saying prices have risen.

Related terms include encarecimento (the noun for the act of becoming more expensive), inflação, and aumento de preços.