balichám
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Macanese[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Malay belacan or older variants balacan, balacang.[1] Possibly reinforced by cognate Cantonese 馬拉盞／马拉盏 (maa5 laai1 zaan2). Alternatively, from Portuguese baleia (“whale”), but this is less likely, both semantically and phonologically.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
balichám
- balichao (savoury condiment prepared with very small, dried shrimp or krill)
- B-A-ba, primêro letra,
L-I-li divinhaçan;
Quim querê sabe minha nome
Botá ôlo na chan.
Sã Balichan.- B-A-ba, the first letter,
L-I-li guessing;
Whoever wants to know my name
Put your eye on the floor.
It's balicham.
- B-A-ba, the first letter,
Derived terms[edit]
- bicho-balicham (“restless person”, literally “balichao bug”)
- porco balichám tamarinho (“Macanese dish prepared with pork, tamarind and balichám”)
Descendants[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Batalha, Graciete Nogueira (1988) “balchão”, in Glossário do dialecto macaense: notas linguísticas, etnográficas e folclóricas [Glossary of the Macanese dialect: linguistic, ethnographic and folkloric notes], Macau: Instituto Cultural de Macau, page 303