Brazilian Population ‘Color’ Self-Descriptors

Brazilian Population ‘Color’ Self-Descriptors

Source: National Survey by Household Sample (PNAD).  Extracted from: Lilia Moritz Schwarcz, “Not black, not white: just the opposite. Culture, race and national identity in Brazil,” Centre for Brazilian Studies, Working Paper Number CBS-47-03, (2003): 5.

# Portuguese Translation Gender
1. Acastanhada somewhat chestnut-coloured F
2. Agalegada somewhat like a Galician F
3. Alva snowy white F
4. Alva escura dark snowy white F
5. Alvarenta* (not in dictionary; poss. dialect) snowy white F
6. Alvarinta* snowy white F
7. Alva rosada pinkish white F
8. Alvinha snowy white F dimin
9. Amarela Yellow F
10. Amarelada Yellowish F
11. Amarela-queimada Burnt yellow F
12. Amarelosa Yellowy F
13. Amorenada somewhat dark-skinned F
14. Avermelhada Reddish F
15. Azul Blue
16. Azul-marinho Sea blue
17. Baiano From Bahia M
18. Bem branca Very white F
19. Bem clara Very pale F
20. Bem morena Very dark-skinned F
21. Branca White F
22. Branca-avermelhada White going on for red F
23. Branca-melada Honey-coloured white F
24. Branca-morena White but dark-skinned F
25. Branca-pálida Pale white F
26. Branca-queimada Burnt white F
27. Branca-sardenta Freckled white F
28. Branca-suja Off-white F
29. Branquiça* Whitish F
30. Branquinha Very white F dimin
31. Bronze Bronze-coloured
32. Bronzeada Sun-tanned F
33. Bugrezinha-escura Dark-skinned India F dimin + derogatory
34. Burro-quando-foge Disappearing donkey (i.e. nondescript) humorous
35. Cabocla Copper-coloured ( refers to civilized Indians) F
36. Cabo-verde from Cabo Verde
37. Café Coffee-coloured
38. Café-com-leite Café au lait
39. Canela Cinnamon
40. Canelada somewhat like cinnamon F
41. Cardão colour of the cardoon, or thistle (blue-violet)
42. Castanha Chestnut F
43. Castanha-clara Light chestnut F
44. Castanha-escura Dark chestnut F
45. Chocolate Chocolate-coloured
46. Clara Light-coloured, pale F
47. Clarinha Light-coloured, pale F dimin
48. Cobre Copper-coloured
49. Corada With a high colour F
50. Cor-de-café Coffee-coloured
51. Cor-de-canela Cinnamon-coloured
52. Cor-de-cuia Gourd-coloured
53. Cor-de-leite Milk-coloured (i.e. milk-white)
54. Cor-de-ouro Gold-coloured (i.e. golden)
55. Cor-de-rosa Pink
56. Cor-firme Steady-coloured
57. Crioula Creole F
58. Encerada Polished F
59. Enxofrada Pallid F
60. Esbranquecimento Whitening
61. Escura Dark F
62. Escurinha Very dark F dimin
63. Fogoió Having fiery-colored hair
64. Galega Galician or Portuguese F
65. Galegada Somewhat like a Galician or Portuguese F
66. Jambo Light-skinned (the colour of a type of apple)
67. Laranja Orange
68. Lilás Lilac
69. Loira Blonde F
70. Loira-clara Light blonde F
71. Loura Blonde F
72. Lourinha Petite blonde F dimin
73. Malaia* Malaysian woman F
74. Marinheira Sailor-woman F
75. Marrom Brown
76. Meio-amarela Half-yellow F
77. Meio-branca Half-white F
78. Meio-morena Half dark-skinned F
79. Meio-preta Half-black F
80. Melada Honey-coloured F
81. Mestiça Half-caste/mestiza F
82. Miscigenação Miscegenation
83. Mista Mixed F
84. Morena Dark-skinned, brunette F
85. Morena-bem-chegada Very nearly morena F
86. Morena-bronzeada Sunburnt morena F
87. Morena-canelada Somewhat cinnamon-coloured morena F
88. Morena-castanha Chestnut-coloured morena F
89. Morena-clara Light-skinned morena F
90. Morena-cor-de-canela Cinnamon-coloured morena F
91. Morena-jambo Light-skinned morena F
92. Morenada Somewhat morena F
93. Morena-escura Dark morena F
94. Morena-fechada Dark morena F
95. Morenão Dark-complexioned man M aug
96. Morena-parda Dark morena F
97. Morena-roxa Purplish morena F
98. Morena-ruiva Red-headed morena F
99. Morena-trigueira Swarthy, dusky morena F
100. Moreninha Petite morena F dimin
101. Mulata Mulatto girl F
102. Mulatinha Little mulatto girl F dimin
103. Negra Negress F
104. Negrota Young negress F
105. Pálida Pale F
106. Paraíba From Paraíba
107. Parda Brown F
108. Parda-clara Light brown F
109. Parda-morena Brown morena F
110. Parda-preta Black-brown F
111. Polaca Polish woman F
112. Pouco-clara Not very light F
113. Pouco-morena Not very dark-complexioned F
114. Pretinha Black – either young, or small F
115. Puxa-para-branco Somewhat towards white F
116. Quase-negra Almost negro F
117. Queimada Sunburnt F
118. Queimada-de-praia Beach sunburnt F
119. Queimada-de-sol Sunburnt F
120. Regular Regular, normal
121. Retinta Deep-dyed, very dark F
122. Rosa Rose-coloured (or the rose itself) F
123. Rosada Rosy F
124. Rosa-queimada Sunburnt-rosy F
125. Roxa Purple F
126. Ruiva Redhead F
127. Russo Russian M
128. Sapecada Singed F
129. Sarará Yellow-haired negro
130. Saraúba* (poss. dialect) Untranslatable
131. Tostada Toasted F
132. Trigo Wheat
133. Trigueira Brunette F
134. Turva Murky F
135. Verde Green
136. Vermelha Red F