Portuguese

Noun

piropo m (plural piropos)

1. (mineralogy) pyrope; garnet (a type of red rock)
2. (colloquial) compliment, flattering comment

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin pyropus, from Ancient Greek πυρωπός ‎(purōpós, “fire-colored”), from πῦρ ‎(pûr, “fire”).

Pronunciation

Noun

piropo m ‎(plural piropos)

1. (mineralogy) pyrope; garnet (a type of red rock)
2. (colloquial) compliment, flattering comment (usually addressed to an unknown woman on the street)
   • 2010, Debbie Rusch, Marcela Dominguez, Lucia Caycedo Garner, Fuentes: Conversacion y gramática, Cengage Learning (ISBN 9781111789541), page 297

     Existe una costumbre en países de habla española llamada el piropo. El piropo suele ser una frase agradable que le dice normalmente un hombre en la calle a una mujer desconocida. Por lo general, no es apropiado que la mujer le haga ...

     There exists a tradition in Spanish-speaking countries called the piropo. The piropo is usually a pleasant remark said by man to an unknown woman on the street. In general, it is not considered appropriate for a woman to make them....

   • 2011, Jill Pellettieri, Norma Lopez-Burton, Rafael Gomez, Robert Hershberger, Susan Navey-Davis, Rumbos, Enhanced Edition, Cengage Learning (ISBN 9781111355388)

     Qué es un piropo? Los aficionados lo llaman “la poesía de la calle”. Para ellos, son sólo comentarios, cumplidos (compliments) dirigidos a una mujer en la calle para reconocer (acknowledge) su belleza sin esperar nada a cambio (in ...

     What is a piropo? Its fans call it "street poetry". To them, only comments and compliments towards a woman on the street which acknowledge her beauty without expecting anything in return...

Synonyms

• (garnet): granate
• (flattering): adulación, camelo, flor, galantería, halago, lisonja, zalamería

Derived terms

• decir piropos
• echar piropos
• piropear