pera

See also: Appendix:Variations of "pera"

Languages (27)

Asturian • Basque • Catalan • Chavacano • Corsican • Czech • Faroese • Galician • Icelandic • Indonesian • Istriot • Italian • Latin • Leonese • Lindu • Makasar • Māori • Occitan • Old Galician-Portuguese • Polish • Portuguese • Serbo-Croatian • Slovak • Spanish • Swahili • Tagalog • Veps

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Page categories

Asturian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpeɾa/ [ˈpe.ɾa]
• Rhymes: -eɾa
• Syllabification: pe‧ra

Noun

pera f (plural peres)

1. pear

Related terms

• peral

Further reading

• “pera”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “pera”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

Basque

Noun

pera

1. allative singular of pe

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan pera, from Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈpe̞.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈpə.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈpɛ.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈpe.ɾa]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɾa
• Rhymes: -eɾa

Noun

pera f (plural peres)

1. pear (fruit)
2. goatee

   Synonym: masclet

Derived terms

• partir peres
• perer
• perera
• tocar la pera

Further reading

• “pera”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “pera”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “pera” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “pera”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish pera.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpeɾa/, [ˈpe.ɾa]
• Hyphenation: pe‧ra

Noun

pera

1. pear (fruit)

Corsican

Noun

pera f (plural pere)

1. pear

Related terms

• peru (“pear tree”)

References

• “pera” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpɛra]

Etymology 1

Noun

pera

1. inflection of pero:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative plural

Etymology 2

Verb

pera

1. masculine singular present transgressive of prát

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse pera, probably from Old English pere, peru, from Latin pirum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʰeːɹa/
• Rhymes: -eːɹa

Noun

pera f (genitive singular peru, plural perur)

1. pear (fruit)
2. light bulb

Declension

f1	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	pera	peran	perur	perurnar
accusative	peru	peruna	perur	perurnar
dative	peru	peruni	perum	perunum
genitive	peru	perunnar	pera	peranna

Derived terms

• perutræ (“pear tree”)

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese pera (13th century, Alfonso X), from Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpeɾɐ]

Noun

pera f (plural peras)

1. pear (fruit)
2. (slang) masturbation

Derived terms

• pereira (“pear tree”)
• leite de pera (“semen”)

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “pera”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “pera”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “pera”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “pera”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Further reading

• “pera”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse pera, probably from Old English pere, peru, from Latin pirum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʰɛːra/
• Rhymes: -ɛːra

Noun

pera f (genitive singular peru, nominative plural perur)

1. pear (fruit)
2. light bulb

Declension

Declension of pera (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	pera	peran	perur	perurnar
accusative	peru	peruna	perur	perurnar
dative	peru	perunni	perum	perunum
genitive	peru	perunnar	pera	peranna

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• perak, pero (nonstandard)

Etymology

Borrowed from Javanese pera (“dry, grainy, gritty”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /pəˈra/ [pəˈra]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: pe‧ra

Adjective

pera (comparative lebih pera, superlative paling pera)

1. dry; granular (of rice)

   Synonym: berbutir-butir

See also

• kepyar

Further reading

• “pera”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin petra, from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra).

Noun

pera f

1. stone

Italian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ra/
• Rhymes: -era
• Hyphenation: pé‧ra

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

pera f (plural pere)

1. pear (the fruit)
2. (slang) fix (dose of drug)

   farsi una pera

   to shoot up

Related terms

• peretta
• pero

Descendants

• → Ottoman Turkish: پرو (pero)

Anagrams

• apre, arpe, pare, rape

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek πήρα (pḗra).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpeː.ra]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈpɛː.ra]

Noun

pēra f (genitive pērae); first declension

1. bag, satchel (slung over one shoulder)
2. wallet
3. scrip

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	pēra	pērae
genitive	pērae	pērārum
dative	pērae	pērīs
accusative	pēram	pērās
ablative	pērā	pērīs
vocative	pēra	pērae

Derived terms

• pērula

Related terms

• hippopēra

References

• “pera”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “pera”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "pera", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “pera”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “pera”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
• “pera”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Anagrams

• aper, prae

Leonese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

pera f (plural peras)

1. pear

References

• “pera”, in Diccionario Castellano-Leonés / Leonés-Castellano [Spanish-Leonese / Leonese-Spanish Dictionary] (in Spanish), La Asociación L'Alderique, 2012–2026
• “pera”, in Pallabreiru Llïonés [Leonese Dictionary] (in Spanish), 2026

Lindu

Noun

pera

1. silver

Makasar

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *pəʀəq, from Proto-Austronesian *pəʀəq.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpera]

Verb

pera (Lontara spelling ᨄᨙᨑ or 𑻣𑻵𑻭, semi-transitive ammera, passive nipera)

1. (transitive) to wring out

Māori

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpera/ [ˈpɛɾɐ]

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

pera

1. blubber

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English pillow.

Noun

pera

1. pillow

   Synonym: urunga

Derived terms

• uhwi pera (“pillowcase”)

Further reading

• John C. Moorfield (2011), “pera”, in Te Aka: Māori–English, English–Māori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, →ISBN

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan pera, from Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpeɾo]

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

pera f (plural peras)

1. pear

Related terms

• perer / perièr

Old Galician-Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ɾa/

Etymology 1

From Latin per (“through”) + ad (“to”).

Preposition

pera

1. for, towards
   • a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 100 (facsimile):

     Santa maria / ſtrela do dia / moſtra nos uia / pera deus ⁊ nos guia.

     Holy Mary, / star of the daytime; / show us the way / towards God, and guide us.

Descendants

• Galician: para, pra
• Portuguese: para, pra, pa (syncopated), p'ra (pre-standardization spelling, now nonstandard), p/ (abbreviation), pera (archaic)

Etymology 2

From Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular. Doublet of pero.

Noun

pera f (plural peras)

1. pear

   maçãas e peras ― apples and pears

Descendants

• Galician: pera
• Portuguese: pera

Polish

Etymology

Unknown.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ra/
• Rhymes: -ɛra
• Syllabification: pe‧ra

Noun

pera f (diminutive perka)

1. (Poznań) alternative form of pyra

Declension

Declension of pera

	singular	plural
nominative	pera	pery
genitive	pery	per
dative	perze	perom
accusative	perę	pery
instrumental	perą	perami
locative	perze	perach
vocative	pero	pery

References

• “Pyra”, in Słownik gwary miejskiej Poznania, (Can we date this quote?)

Further reading

• “pera”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Portuguese

pera (etymology 1)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese pera, from Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Alternative forms

• pêra (pre-1990 spelling)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ɾɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ɾɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ɾa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -eɾɐ
• Hyphenation: pe‧ra

Noun

pera f (plural peras)

1. pear
2. (colloquial) a knuckle sandwich
3. (Portugal) goatee

   Synonym: (Brazil) cavanhaque

Derived terms

• pera doce
• pereira

Descendants

• → Bengali: পেয়ারা (peẏara)
• → Gujarati: પેર (per), પેરુ (peru)
• → Kannada: ಪೇರಲ (pērala), ಪೇರ್ಲೆ (pērle)
• → Konkani: पेर (per)
• → Malayalam: പേര (pēra)
• → Marathi: पेरू (perū)
• → Sinhalese: පේර (pēra)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• péra (pre-1990 spelling)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾɐ/

• Hyphenation: pe‧ra

Noun

pera f (plural peras)

1. archaic form of pedra

Usage notes

Fossilized in constructions such as perafita (formerly spelled péra-fita).

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): (unstressed) /pɛ.ɾɐ/, (with syncope) /pɾa/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): (unstressed) /pɛ.ɾɐ/, (with syncope) /pɾa/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): (unstressed) /pɛ.ɾa/, (with syncope) /pɾa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): (unstressed) /pɛ.ɾɐ/, (with syncope) /pɾɐ/

• Hyphenation: pe‧ra

Preposition

pera

1. archaic form of para

Etymology 4

Clipping of espera, imperative of esperar (“to wait”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛ.ɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɛɾɐ
• Hyphenation: pe‧ra

Interjection

pera

1. (colloquial) just a minute

   Synonym: pera aí / peraí

2. (colloquial) wait (asking for stop to make an observation)

Further reading

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

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

pera (Cyrillic spelling пера)

1. inflection of pero:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/genitive/accusative/vocative plural

Slovak

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pera/, [ˈpera]
• Rhymes: -era
• Hyphenation: pe‧ra

Noun

pera

1. genitive singular of pero

Noun

pera f

1. lip

Declension

Declension of pera
(pattern žena)

	singular	plural
nominative	pera	pery
genitive	pery	perí, pier
dative	pere	perám
accusative	peru	pery
locative	pere	perách
instrumental	perou	perami

Further reading

• “pera”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish pera, from Vulgar Latin *pira, from the plural of Latin pirum, reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpeɾa/ [ˈpe.ɾa]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾa
• Syllabification: pe‧ra

Noun

pera f (plural peras)

1. pear
2. (boxing) speed bag
3. (Rioplatense, Chile) chin

   Synonyms: barbilla, mentón

Derived terms

• de uvas a peras
• del año de la pera
• más sano que una pera
• partir peras
• pedir peras al olmo
• pera de agua
• pera en dulce
• peras y manzanas
• perilla
• sumar peras con manzanas

Descendants

• → Jicarilla: béela

Further reading

• “pera”, 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

Anagrams

• rape, rapé, pare, paré

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese pera (“pear”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

pera class V (plural mapera class VI)

1. guava

Derived terms

• mpera

Tagalog

10¢ perra gorda (literally “fat bitch (dog)”) coin depicting a lion rampant regardant, 1870

worn out 5¢ perra chica (literally “little bitch (dog)”) coin, 1870

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish perra (“cash; 5 and 10 centimo peseta coins”, literally “bitch / female dog”), feminine of perro (“dog”), due to the circulation of perra gorda (“ten centimo peseta coin”), perra chica (“five centimo peseta coin”). Such coins depicted a poorly drawn Spanish heraldic lion rampant regardant and people called the lion humorously a perra.

Potet (2016) also remarked that the word seems to be a cross between Malay perak and Spanish perra, wherein an interference could have occurred between the colloquial senses of Spanish perra (“cash; dough (money)”, literally “bitch (dog)”) and Malay perak (“coin”, literally “silver”). See also pilak.

Alternatively, possibly from Spanish pela (“one peseta coin”, literally “a hit or beating”), also with a similar lion design.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɾa/ [ˈpɛː.ɾɐ]
  • Rhymes: -eɾa
• (Bataan) IPA^(key): /ˈpiɾa/ [ˈpiː.ɾɐ]
  • Rhymes: -iɾa
• Syllabification: pe‧ra

Noun

pera (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜒᜇ)

1. money; cash

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:salapi

2. (colloquial, dated) centavo

   Synonym: sentimo

Derived terms

• mamera
• mapera
• mukhang pera
• pera-pera
• perahan
• perahin
• perang-hapon
• sampera

See also

• bagol
• panday-pira

Further reading

• “pera”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025

Anagrams

• pare

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *perä, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *perä. Cognates include Finnish perä.

Noun

pera

1. stern (rear end of a ship)

Inflection

Inflection of pera (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	pera
genitive sing.	peran
partitive sing.	perad
partitive plur.	peroid
	singular	plural
nominative	pera	perad
accusative	peran	perad
genitive	peran	peroiden
partitive	perad	peroid
essive-instructive	peran	peroin
translative	peraks	peroikš
inessive	peras	peroiš
elative	peraspäi	peroišpäi
illative	peraha	peroihe
adessive	peral	peroil
ablative	peralpäi	peroilpäi
allative	perale	peroile
abessive	perata	peroita
comitative	peranke	peroidenke
prolative	peradme	peroidme
approximative I	peranno	peroidenno
approximative II	perannoks	peroidennoks
egressive	perannopäi	peroidennopäi
terminative I	perahasai	peroihesai
terminative II	peralesai	peroilesai
terminative III	perassai	—
additive I	perahapäi	peroihepäi
additive II	peralepäi	peroilepäi

References

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “корма”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[3], Petrozavodsk: Periodika