meados

Meados is a term used in Portuguese to denote the middle point or midpoint of a period. As a noun, it is usually plural when referring to several midpoints, as in os meados do ano, meaning the middle of the year. The singular form meado refers to a midpoint or central point within a span, whether of time or space. The word derives from meio, meaning middle, with the suffix -ado forming abstract nouns that express a sense of central position.

In calendar usage, meados indicates roughly the central portion of a time frame. It is employed in formal and informal contexts, especially in Brazilian Portuguese, and is also found in European Portuguese, though regional preferences may vary. Common alternatives include meio or metade depending on formality and precision.

Meados can also appear in historical or literary contexts to describe an intermediate phase or transitional point within events, projects, or processes. While primarily temporal, the term can be extended metaphorically to describe central stages in non-temporal sequences.

Cognate terms exist in related languages. The Spanish and Galician cognate mediados expresses the same concept of midpoints or mid-periods, though Meados as a capitalized proper noun is not widely documented as an internationally recognized place name. See also mediados, mid-year, and related phrases describing central or transitional points in time.