cara

See also: Appendix:Variations of "cara"

Aragonese

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρα (kára).

Noun

cara f (plural caras)

1. (anatomy) face

References

• Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002) “cara”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

Asturian

Etymology

From Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρα (kára, “head, face”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɾa/, [ˈka.ɾa]

Noun

cara f (plural cares)

1. (anatomy) face

   Synonym: rostru

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈka.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈka.ɾa]
• Rhymes: -aɾa

Etymology 1

Inherited from Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρα (kára, “head, face”).

Noun

cara f (plural cares)

1. face (front part of the head)
2. face (public image)
3. heads (side of a coin)
4. face, surface

Derived terms

• acarar
• amb cara i ulls
• cara a cara
• caraplè
• encarar

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

cara

1. feminine singular of car

Further reading

• “cara” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Crimean Tatar

Noun

cara

1. wound

Declension

Declension of cara

nominative	cara
genitive	caranıñ
dative	carağa
accusative	caranı
locative	carada
ablative	caradan

Derived terms

• carağa tuz basmaq (“rub salt in the wound”)
• carasın teşmek (“scratch one's wound”)

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.ʁa/
• Homophones: caras, carât

Verb

cara

1. third-person singular past historic of carer

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɾa/ [ˈkɑ.ɾɐ]
• Rhymes: -aɾa
• Hyphenation: ca‧ra

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese cara, from Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρα (kára, “head, face”).

Noun

cara f (plural caras)

1. face (of a person or animal)

   Synonym: rostro

2. expression; gesture
   • 2016, Malandrómeda, Encontro con !@#$%!! [song]:

     Os anos que botei soñando con este momento
     Funche compoñendo un discurso co tempo.
     Na cabeza creaba imaxes claras
     Dos teus ollos, escoitándome, e das túas caras

     The years I passed dreaming with this moment
     I composed a discourse along the time.
     Inside my head I was making a clear image
     of your eyes, while you was listening to me, and of your gestures

   Synonyms: aceno, xesto

3. surface (face of a polyhedron)

Derived terms

• acarear
• carexar

 

Preposition

cara

1. to

   Synonym: para

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

cara

1. feminine singular of caro

Further reading

• “cara”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2024

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “cara”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “cara”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “cara”, 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), “cara”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “cara”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• acara (archaic)
• tjara (pre-1967)

Etymology

From Malay cara, from Classical Malay cara.

• From Javanese ꦕꦫ (cara, “manner, way, custom, style, language”), from Old Javanese cara, cāra, ācāra (“behaviour, conduct”), from Sanskrit आचार (ācāra, “behaviour, good conduct; usage; custom; rule”), from Sanskrit चर् (car, “to move, to practice”). Doublet of acara, acaram, and ajar.
• Alternatively, from Persian چاره (čâra, “remedy; help; business; scheme; means, manner, mode”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa.ra/
• Hyphenation: ca‧ra

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ra, -a

Noun

cara (plural cara-cara, first-person possessive caraku, second-person possessive caramu, third-person possessive caranya)

1. way
2. manner

Related terms

• secara

 

Further reading

• “cara” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Alternative forms

• caraid (Cois Fharraige)

Etymology

From Middle Irish cara (“friend, relation”) (compare Scottish Gaelic caraid, Manx carrey), from Old Irish carae (“friend, relation”), from Proto-Celtic *karants (“friend”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ros (“dear”) (compare Latin cārus, English charity, whore).

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑɾˠə/
• (Connemara, Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈkaɾˠə/

Noun

cara m (genitive singular carad, nominative plural cairde)

1. friend

Declension

Declension of cara

Fifth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative cara cairde Vocative a chara a chairde Genitive carad cairde Dative cara caraid (archaic, dialectal) cairde

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an cara na cairde Genitive an charad na gcairde Dative leis an gcara leis an gcaraid (archaic, dialectal) don chara don charaid (archaic, dialectal) leis na cairde

• Alternative genitive plural: carad (in certain phrases, otherwise archaic)

Derived terms

• anamchara
• banchara
• cairdeach
• cairdiúil
• cara as Críost
• cara cnis
• neaschara

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
cara	chara	gcara
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cara”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “cara”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 117
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “cara”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “cara”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.ra/
• Rhymes: -ara
• Hyphenation: cà‧ra

Adjective

cara

1. feminine singular of caro

Noun

cara f (plural care)

1. female equivalent of caro

Anagrams

• -arca, Arca, arac, arca

Javanese

Romanization

cara

1. Romanization of ꦕꦫ

Latin

Etymology 1

Inflected form of cārus (“beloved”).

Adjective

cāra

1. inflection of cārus:
   1. feminine nominative/vocative singular
   2. neuter nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Adjective

cārā

1. ablative feminine singular of cārus

Etymology 2

Apparently borrowed from Ancient Greek κάρᾱ (kárā, “head, face”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂-(e)s-n-, from the root *ḱerh₂- (“top, head, horn”). Cognate to Latin cornū, corvus, crabrō, cerebrum and cernuus.

Attested tenuously in a single late Latin glossary, where it is given as Greek, and then in medieval Latin documents from Spain. Appears in Romance languages with the meaning “face, facial features” (corresponding to Latin vultus).

Noun

cara f (genitive carae); first declension

2. (Late Latin, rare, glosses, Medieval Latin, uncertain) the head

   Synonym: caput

   • Corpus Glossariorum Latinorum, 4 587.8, (etymologising on Virgil's Georgics III, 269):

     'Gargara' quasi cara, caros, idest 'caput, capitis'

   • Antidotarium Bambergense, 19 :

     dente […] dolentibus et carā satis antidotī adpositum prōdest

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	cara	carae
Genitive	carae	carārum
Dative	carae	carīs
Accusative	caram	carās
Ablative	carā	carīs
Vocative	cara	carae

Descendants

• North Italian:
  • Old Ligurian: cera
    • → Gallurese: cera
    • Ligurian: cêa
    • → Sassarese: cera
  • Piedmontese: cera
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: chiere
    • French: chère
    • → Middle English: chere
      • English: cheer
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Aragonese: cara
  • Catalan: cara
    • → Sardinian: cara
  • Occitan: cara ⇒ caratge (merger with visatge)

    Nord-Occitan: chara

• Ibero-Romance:
  • Old Leonese: cara
    • Asturian: cara
    • Extremaduran: cara
    • Leonese: cara
    • Mirandese: cara
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: cara
    • Fala: cara
    • Galician: cara
    • Portuguese: cara
  • Old Spanish: cara
    • Spanish: cara

See also

• aspectus
• faciēs
• frōns
• ōs
• testa
• vultus

 

Further reading

• “cara” in the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (TLL Open Access), Berlin (formerly Leipzig): De Gruyter (formerly Teubner), 1900–present
• “cara”, in Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, digitalized in Wörterbuchnetz des Trier Center for Digital Humanities, Version 01/21, 2021 June 2 (last accessed)
• cara in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Johannes Niehoff-Panagiotidis (1994) Koine und Diglossie (in German), Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 493

Latvian

Noun

cara m

1. genitive singular of cars

Malay

Etymology

From Sanskrit आचार (ācāra, “behaviour, good conduct; usage; custom; rule”), from Sanskrit चर् (car, “to move, to practice”).

Alternatively, from Persian چاره (čâra, “remedy; help; business; scheme; means, manner, mode”).

Pronunciation

• (Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa.rə/
• (Riau-Lingga) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa.ra/
• Rhymes: -ara, -ra, -a

Noun

cara (Jawi spelling چارا, plural cara-cara, informal 1st possessive caraku, 2nd possessive caramu, 3rd possessive caranya)

1. manner, means, method
2. style, fashion

Descendants

• > Indonesian: cara (inherited)
• > Peranakan Indonesian: tjara (inherited)

Further reading

• “cara” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Middle Irish

Alternative forms

• carait

Etymology

From Old Irish carae, from Proto-Celtic *karants (“friend”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ros (“dear”) (compare Latin cārus, English charity, whore).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkarə/

Noun

cara

1. friend

   coscc carat ― a friend's advice

2. relative

Declension

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	cara, carait	carait, cairde
Vocative	cara, carait	cairde
Accusative	carait	cairdiu, cairde
Genitive	carat	carat, cairde
Dative	carait	cairdib

Derived terms

• caratrad (“friendship, alliance”)

Descendants

• Irish: cara
• Scottish Gaelic: caraid
• Manx: carrey

Mutation

Middle Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cara	chara	cara pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cara”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑ.rɑ/

Verb

cara

1. singular imperative of carian

Old Javanese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃa.ra/
• Rhymes: -ra
• Homophone: cāra
• Hyphenation: ca‧ra

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Sanskrit चर (cara, “wandering, walking, moving”).

Noun

cara

1. going
2. walking

Derived terms

• cara-cara

 

• bhūmicara
• gaganacara
• khecara
• lĕbucara
• niśācara
• ākāśacara

 

Descendants

• >? Javanese: ꦕꦺꦴꦫꦺꦴ (coro)

Etymology 2

Noun

cara

1. Alternative spelling of cara, cāra, ācāra
2. Alternative spelling of cara, pacara, upacara, upacāra
3. Alternative spelling of caraṇa

Further reading

• "cara" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Old Saxon

Noun

cara f

1. Alternative spelling of kara

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀘𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• चर (Devanagari script)
• চর (Bengali script)
• චර (Sinhalese script)
• စရ or ၸရ (Burmese script)
• จร or จะระ (Thai script)
• ᨧᩁ (Tai Tham script)
• ຈຣ or ຈະຣະ (Lao script)
• ចរ (Khmer script)
• 𑄌𑄢 (Chakma script)

Noun

cara m

1. act of walking about, act of frequenting
2. one who walks about, one who frequents
3. messenger, spy

Declension

Declension table of "cara" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	caro	carā
Accusative (second)	caraṃ	care
Instrumental (third)	carena	carehi or carebhi
Dative (fourth)	carassa or carāya or caratthaṃ	carānaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	carasmā or caramhā or carā	carehi or carebhi
Genitive (sixth)	carassa	carānaṃ
Locative (seventh)	carasmiṃ or caramhi or care	caresu
Vocative (calling)	cara	carā

Descendants

• → Thai: จร (jɔɔn, “to wander”)

Verb

cara

1. second-person singular imperative active of carati (“to walk”)

References

Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “cara”, in Pali-English Dictionary‎, London: Chipstead

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡sa.ra/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ara
• Syllabification: ca‧ra

Noun

cara m pers

1. genitive/accusative singular of car

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.ɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -aɾɐ
• Hyphenation: ca‧ra

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese cara, from Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρα (kára, “head, face”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱrh₂esn.

Noun

cara f (plural caras)

1. face

   Synonyms: face, rosto

2. heads (side of coin)

   Synonym: anverso

   Antonym: coroa

   cara ou coroa ― head or tails

3. (informal) resemblance, appearance (perceived characteristic of a person, object or situation)

   Synonym: pinta

   Ele tem cara de idiota. ― He looks like an idiot.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:cara.

Derived terms

• cara a cara
• cara-ou-coroa

 

Noun

cara m (plural caras)

1. (Brazil, informal) man, fellow, guy and any adult male

   Synonyms: bicho, camarada, cabra, tipo

   • 2024 August 31, Jeniffer Gularte, Mariana Muniz, quoting Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, “Lula: Musk tem de respeitar decisão do STF”, in Diário do Pará, page B1:

     Esse país não é um país que tem uma sociedade com complexo de vira-lata, que o cara [Elon Musk] gritou e a gente fica com medo. Esse cara tem que aceitar as regras desse país.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Interjection

cara!

1. (Brazil, informal) man!; dude!

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:cara.

Etymology 2

From Latin cāra.

Adjective

cara

1. feminine singular of caro (“expensive, dear”)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:caro.

Sardinian

Etymology

From Spanish cara and/or Catalan cara, both from Late Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρα (kára).

Noun

cara f (plural caras)

1. face

References

• Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “kára”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg

Sassarese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkara/

Etymology 1

Likely from Spanish and/or Catalan cara, both from Late Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρᾱ (kárā), from Proto-Hellenic *kárahə, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱérh₂sō (“top of the head/skull”), derived from the root *ḱerh₂- (“head, horn, top”).

Noun

cara f (plural cari) (rare)

1. face

   Synonym: fàccia

   • 1957, Salvator Ruju, “Li candaréri [The candlesticks]”, in Sassari véccia e nóba [Old and new Sassari]; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 144:

     Ma la più bèdda còsa, li baggiani
     di cara bruna, d’ócci risurani.

     But the most beautiful thing, [is] the brown-faced young girls with smiling eyes.

     (literally, “But the most beautiful thing, [are] the young girls of brown face, of smiling eyes.”)

2. countenance

   Synonyms: fàccia, chiza

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish cala, of unknown origin.

Alternative forms

• cala (Sedini)

Noun

cara f (plural cari)

1. inlet, cove

References

• Ugo Solinas (2016) Vocabolario sassarese-italiano fraseologico ed etimologico, volume 1, Sestu: Domus de Janas, →ISBN, page 318
• Giosue Muzzo (1981) Vocabolario del dialetto sassarese, Chiarella Editore, →ISBN; republished, Sassari: Carlo Delfino editore, 2018, page 55
• Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɾa/ [ˈka.ɾa]

• Audio (Latin America):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾa
• Syllabification: ca‧ra

Etymology 1

Inherited from Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cara, from Ancient Greek κάρα (kára, “head, face”).

Noun

cara f (plural caras)

1. (anatomy) face (the front part of the head)

   Synonyms: rostro, haz

2. face (one's facial expression)
3. face (the frontal aspect of something)

   Synonyms: frente, fachada

4. (colloquial) gall, nerve (impudence)
5. (geometry) face (any of the flat bounding surfaces of a polyhedron)
6. side (of paper, a card, a coin)
7. heads (side of a coin)

   Synonym: anverso

   Antonyms: cruz, (Argentina) ceca

Derived terms

• a cara de perro
• a cara descubierta
• a cara o ceca
• a cara o cruz
• a cara o sello
• a la cara (“in the face; to the face”)
• a mal tiempo, buena cara
• cara A
• cara a
• cara a cara
• cara B
• cara con dos haces
• cara de acelga
• cara de aleluya
• cara de cemento
• cara de gualda
• cara de hereje
• cara de perro
• cara de pocos amigos
• cara de póquer
• cara de rallo
• cara de rosa
• cara de suela
• cara de vaqueta
• cara de viernes
• cara de vinagre
• cara dura
• cara larga
• cara o sello
• caradura
• cariacontecido
• carinegro
• carirredondo
• carita
• carota
• cruzar la cara
• dar la cara
• de cara a
• doble cara
• echar en cara
• echarse a la cara
• el santo de cara
• hacer a dos caras
• lavar la cara
• pintacaras
• plantar cara
• por la cara
• saltar a la cara
• salvar la cara
• tener más cara que espalda
• ver la cara
• verse las caras

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

cara

1. feminine singular of caro

Further reading

• “cara”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Venetan

Adjective

cara

1. feminine singular of caro

Welsh

Alternative forms

• câr (literary, third-person singular present/future)
• caraf (first-person singular future)
• cariff (colloquial, third-person singular future)
• carith (colloquial, third-person singular future)

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈkara/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈkaːra/, /ˈkara/

Verb

cara

1. inflection of caru:
   1. first-person singular future colloquial
   2. third-person singular present indicative/future literary
   3. second-person singular imperative

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
cara	gara	nghara	chara
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.