Cafuné
Meaning: The tender act of running your fingers through someone's hair — an intimate gesture of love and calm between two people.
Language: Portuguese
Literally: hair-combing tenderness
Category: Social
Origin: Brazilian Portuguese; possibly from an African language brought to Brazil; the word itself feels like the gesture.
More untranslatable words — Social
- Backpfeifengesicht — A face that is just begging to be slapped — someone so smug you can't help the urge.
- Tartle — That panicky pause when you go to introduce someone and realize you've forgotten their na…
- Tutear — To switch to the informal tú with someone — a small, deliberate act of closing social dis…
- Sprezzatura — The art of making something difficult look wholly effortless, hiding every trace of the w…
- Dietrologia — The conviction that the official account is never the real one — that some hidden motive…
- Attaccabottoni — The person who corners you and holds you in an endless, tedious story you cannot politely…
More Portuguese untranslatable words
- Saudade — A deep, nostalgic yearning for someone or something absent — tinged with the bittersweet…
From our proverbs
- You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs — Progress requires sacrifice.
- What doesn't kill you makes you stronger — Adversity builds resilience and character.
- It takes two to tango — Both parties are responsible in a conflict.