ligeiro

Ligeiro is a Portuguese adjective meaning quick, nimble, or light in weight or motion. It can describe people who move with speed or agility, objects that are easy to handle or carry, and actions performed with ease and swiftness. In usage, it often conveys a sense of lightness or speed, as in footsteps, movements, or responses that are swift rather than heavy or deliberate. The feminine form is ligeira, and the plural forms are ligeiros (masculine) and ligeiras (feminine).

Etymology and forms: The term derives from older forms in Portuguese that reflect the idea of lightness, and is linked to Latin levis “light” in weight. Over time, ligeiro expanded to encompass the sense of rapidity and agility in addition to physical lightness. It is used both attributively and predicatively, for example describing an action as performed “de forma ligeira” (in a light/swift manner) or a person as “ligeiro” in movement or speech.

Usage notes: Ligeiro is common in both Brazilian and European Portuguese, though frequency and nuance can vary by region. It serves as a general descriptor rather than a precise technical term, with closer synonyms including rápido, veloz, and ágil. The word agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.

Names and cross-usage: Ligeiro can appear as a surname or nickname in some contexts, typically related to speed or agility, but it is not a widespread or standardized name. There are no widely recognized places or organizations formally known simply as “Ligeiro.”

See also: leve, leveza, rápido, ágil.