brigadeiro

From brigada (“brigade”) +‎ -eiro (“-er”), perhaps as an adaptation of French brigadier. The most common theory concerning the confection is that it was invented and named in honour of then-Brigadier Eduardo Gomes by supporters of his presidential candidacy in 1945. However, a sweet with this name is first attested only in 1949^[1] and correlations with Eduardo Gomes would not appear before the 1970s.^[2]

• Rhymes: -ejɾu, -eɾu, -ɐjɾu
• Hyphenation: bri‧ga‧dei‧ro

brigadeiro m (plural brigadeiros, feminine brigadeira, feminine plural brigadeiras)

1. (military) brigadier (commander of a brigade)
   1. (air force) ellipsis of brigadeiro do ar
   2. in the Portuguese army, the rank between colonel and general
   3. (historical) a rank above colonel and below field marshal
   4. used as a translation for English brigadier, French brigadier and other cognates

brigadeiro m (plural brigadeiros)

2. A traditional Brazilian chocolate truffle made from condensed milk, cocoa powder and either butter or margarine, rolled into a small ball and cooked, traditionally covered with chocolate sprinkles and served in a small paper cup.

   Synonym: (Rio Grande do Sul) negrinho

   Coordinate terms: beijinho, bicho de pé, cajuzinho, casadinho, olho de sogra, quindim

   Aqueles brigadeiros de sua festa foram uma delícia! ― Those brigadeiros from your birthday party were delicious!

3. (by extension) The brigadeiro mixture, but without being rolled into a ball.

   O bolo dela tinha cobertura de brigadeiro. ― Her birthday cake had chocolate ganache frosting.

• “brigadeiro”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “brigadeiro”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “brigadeiro”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026
• “brigadeiro”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN