estrangeiras

Estrangeiras is the feminine plural form of estrangeira in Portuguese. It can function as a noun or as an adjective. As a noun, estrangeira refers to a woman who is foreign or not from the speaker’s country or locality. As an adjective, estrangeira describes feminine nouns to indicate that they are foreign or situated outside the local context. The masculine equivalents are estrangeiro (singular) and estrangeiros (plural).

Etymology and form: Estrangeira derives from the root estrange- (foreign) with the feminine suffix -eira, followed by the plural -as. The related masculine forms are estrangeiro and estrangeiros. The word is used across Portuguese-speaking communities with similar meanings: something or someone foreign.

Usage: Estrangeiras can indicate people, cultures, or things that originate outside a given place. It often appears in discussions of travel, immigration, or cultural encounter, but can also describe foreign objects or ideas in a general sense. When used as a noun, the emphasis is typically on the person’s foreign status; when used as an adjective, the emphasis is on the characteristic of being foreign.

Examples: As estrangeiras chegaram hoje para a conferência. (The foreign women arrived today for the conference.) Culturas estrangeiras influenciam muitas áreas da sociedade. (Foreign cultures influence many areas of society.) As palavras estrangeiras no vocabulário português são comuns em textos acadêmicos.

See also: estrangeiro, estrangeirismo, predicados de nacionalidade, língua portuguesa.