donaire

From dona (“unfortunate, unlucky; poor, wretched”) +‎ -aire.

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠun̪ˠəɾʲə/, /ˈd̪ˠon̪ˠəɾʲə/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠɞnˠəɾʲə/, /ˈd̪ˠonˠəɾʲə/, /ˈd̪ˠunˠəɾʲə/

donaire m (genitive singular donaire, nominative plural donairí)

1. wretch

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “donaire”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

• donairo

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese donaire, borrowed from Old Spanish donaire, from Late Latin dōnārius, from Latin dōnārium.

• Hyphenation: do‧nai‧re

donaire m (plural donaires)

1. gracefulness, elegance

• “donaire”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “donaire”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “donaire”, in Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisboa: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, 2001–2026
• “donaire”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026
• “donaire”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Ultimately from Late Latin dōnārium. Evolution unclear (expected form *donero).

• IPA^(key): /doˈnaiɾe/ [d̪oˈnai̯.ɾe]
• Rhymes: -aiɾe
• Syllabification: do‧nai‧re

donaire m (plural donaires)

1. gracefulness, elegance

   Synonym: donosura

   • 1926, Roberto Arlt, “Los ladrones”, in El juguete rabioso:

     Lucio ofreció cigarrillos egipcios, formidable novedad para nosotros, y con donaire encendió la cerilla en la suela de sus zapatos.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. a joke or playful comment

   Synonyms: chiste, agudeza

• “donaire”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025