mergulham

Mergulham is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb mergulhar, meaning to dive, submerge, or plunge. It is used to describe that a group of people are diving or submerging in a given moment, and can be applied to both physical diving and metaphorical immersion.

The verb mergulhar is regular in its conjugation pattern for the -ar verbs. In the present indicative, the forms are: eu mergulho, tu mergulhas, ele mergulha, nós mergulhamos, vós mergulhais (used in some varieties of European Portuguese), eles/elas mergulham, and vocês mergulham in Brazilian Portuguese. The form mergulham specifically corresponds to the third-person plural, i.e., eles mergulham or elas mergulham, and also to the more general vocês mergulham in regions where this pronoun is common.

Usage notes include both literal and figurative contexts. Literally, it describes people diving into water, submerging an object, or engaging in underwater activities such as snorkeling or scuba diving. Figuratively, it can describe deep immersion in a topic, task, or activity, as in a group that “mergulham no assunto” or “mergulham no trabalho.”

Etymology and related forms: mergulhar derives from the Portuguese root related to submersion and is connected to the Latin mergere, meaning to dip or sink. Related nouns and adjectives include mergulho (a dive or submersion), mergulhador/mergulhadora (diver), and the related verb submergir (to submerge).

See also: mergulho, mergulhador, mergulhar, submergir.