quente

Quente is a Portuguese adjective used to describe high temperature or heat. It can refer to objects, substances, or environments, such as água quente (hot water), comida quente (hot food), tempo quente (hot weather), or uma chama quente (a hot flame). In broader usage, it can denote intensity or urgency, as in a situation described as quente, meaning lively or demanding.

Etymology and cognates: quente originates from Latin roots related to warmth, such as calentus or calens, through the evolution of the Romance languages. It has cognates in other Iberian languages, notably Spanish caliente, reflecting a shared heritage of describing heat. The modern form quente is the standard Portuguese spelling in use today in both Portugal and Brazil.

Grammar and usage: Quente is an invariable adjective with respect to gender, typically appearing as quente for both masculine and feminine forms (o leite quente, a água quente). The plural form is quentes (os leites quentes, as águas quentes). It commonly combines with the noun it modifies and can be used in comparative or superlative constructions, such as mais quente (hotter) or o mais quente (the hottest). In everyday language, quente often describes physical temperature, but it can also extend to metaphorical heat, such as a hot topic or a heated discussion, depending on context.

Context and regional notes: The term is widely understood across the Portuguese-speaking world, with regional idioms and collocations varying by country and dialect. In culinary contexts, the distinction between quente (hot) and frio (cold) is frequently made to indicate serving temperature and freshness.

See also: temperature, calor, temperatura.