revestir

Revestir is a Portuguese verb with two broad uses: literal coating and figurative endowment. In its primary sense, it means to cover a surface or object with a layer of material to protect, decorate, or give a particular finish. This includes walls, floors, or façades being revestidos with substances such as plaster, tiles, wood, metal, or stone. In construction and decoration, the resulting layer is often referred to as revestimento. Examples of typical constructions are revestir paredes com azulejos or revestir o teto com madeira.

In its figurative use, revestir can mean to confer or endow with a quality, attribute, or appearance. It is common to say that something or someone is revestido de certain characteristics or that a situation revestiu-se de particular mood or atmosphere. The pronominal form, revestir-se de, describes someone taking on a state, attitude, or disguise, as in se revestiu de calma or se revestiu de luto.

Etymology and form: the verb derives from Latin revestire, formed with the prefix re- and vestire (to clothe). The standard inflections follow regular -ir verb patterns, and the past participle is revestido, used in passive or perfect constructions (o prédio foi revestido). Nouns related to the verb include revestimento (the act or product of revestir) and revestido (the coated thing or person in a figurative sense).

Use across contexts is generally clear: physical application of a coating in architecture and industry, and metaphorical or stylistic use to describe adopting a mood, role, or attribute.