trasgo

Portuguese

Etymology

Unknown, see Spanish section below.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɾaz.ɡu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɾaz.ɡu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈtɾaʒ.ɡu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɾaz.ɡo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈtɾaʒ.ɡu/ [ˈtɾaʒ.ɣu]

• Hyphenation: tras‧go

Noun

trasgo m (plural trasgos)

1. (Iberian folklore, mythology, fantasy) a mischievous mythological creature similar to a goblin or kobold found in legends of Portugal and Spain (viz. Iberia proper)

Spanish

FWOTD – 31 October 2019

A whimsical depiction of a trasgo smoking a pipe.

Etymology

Unknown. Possible etymologies include:

• from Latin trādux (“vine branch”), in the nominative (semantic connection is nebulous, possibly from the creatures hiding in vineyards in some folk legends);
• from Old Galician-Portuguese transfegar (“to transfigure, to transfuse”), from Latin transfigurare, relating to the creature's ability to shapeshift;
• from Ancient Greek τράγος (trágos, “male goat, lechery”), relating to mischief, its small stature, and other hircine attributes;
• from Old Italian strega (“witch, hag”), from Latin striga (“evil spirit, witch, etc.”).
• from a Gothic term for a goblin-like creature, introduced or reinforced during the Visigothic/Suebian period via Germanic folklore.
• from Old Spanish trasgreer or trasgueir (“make mischief”) (first attested in c. 15th century), from Latin transgredi, likewise referring to its mischievous nature. In which case, cognate to English transgress.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɾasɡo/ [ˈt̪ɾaz.ɣ̞o]
• Rhymes: -asɡo
• Syllabification: tras‧go

Noun

trasgo m (plural trasgos)

1. (Iberian folklore, mythology, fantasy) a mischievous mythological creature similar to a goblin, imp, or kobold found in legends of Portugal and Spain, with varying descriptions
   • 1864, Meliton Martin, Pónos, part 2, page 31:

     Tras de las exigencias de la bruja vinieron como era natural las de los trasgos.

     As was natural, after the demands of the witch came those of the goblins.

See also

• duende

Further reading

• “trasgo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10