meigallo

Galician

Alternative forms

• meigalho (reintegrationist)

Etymology

From meiga (“witch”) +‎ -allo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mejˈɣaʎo̝/

Noun

meigallo m (plural meigallos)

1. (folklore) evil eye, witchery, spell, bane

   Synonym: feitizo

   • 1863, Rosalía de Castro, Cantares Gallegos:

     Ora en ti penso disperto, / ora en ti penso durmindo, / e sempre en ti estou pensando / coma si foses feitiço; Seique meigallo me deche / na festa do San Martiño, / amasado cos teus dedos / nunha bola de pantrigo

     I think about you while awake, I think about you while sleeping; I'm always thinking about you as if it was witchery; I think that you gave me an enchantment, in the fair of Saint Martin, kneaded with you hands inside a ball of wheat bread

2. (folklore) sickness caused by witchery, the dead, demons or spirits
   • 1895, Heraclio Pérez Placer, Contos da Terriña:

     Calquer pensara que un meigallo se lle meteu no corpo, ó ver como cambeou de súpeto. Esborrouse da súa boca a sonrisa pracenteira, fuxiu dos ollos o mirar churruscandeiro, velado agora por humedeceres de bágoas

     Anyone would think that she was under a spell [that a meigallo entered her body] seeing how she changed overnight: the pleasant smile fade from her mouth and the burning looks fled from her eyes, clouded by the wetness of the tears

Related terms

• meiga

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “meigallo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega (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), “meigallo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “meigallo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN