SOCCER
‘Pelé' enters Portuguese language dictionary
The word “Pelé”, described in the dictionary entry as an adjective, is defined as “exceptional, incomparable, unique”.
The legendary Brazilian soccer player, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, famously known as Pelé, has been included in the Michaelis dictionary, one of the most popular in the Portuguese language. The new addition means that the nickname of the legend, who passed away in December 2022 at the age of 82, will now be officially recognised as an adjective (although can be used as a noun) used to describe something exceptional, incomparable or unique.
Pelé: a word meaning excellence and more
The inclusion of the word ‘Pelé' in the dictionary was celebrated by the Pelé Foundation on Instagram. The digital version of Michaelis’s entry for the word states that it refers to “something or someone that, due to its quality, value, or superiority, cannot be compared to anything or anyone, like Pelé, nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the best sports star of all time.”
The Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras), which governs Portuguese in Brazil, has not yet included the word ‘Pelé' in its digital version. However, the Michaelis dictionary includes examples of the word’s use, such as “He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of Brazilian dramaturgy, he is the Pelé of medicine”.
‘Pelé in the dictionary’ campaign success
The inclusion of ’Pelé' in the Michaelis dictionary is the result of a joint campaign launched on April 14 by the Pelé Foundation, the sports channel SporTV of the Globo network, and Santos de Sao Paulo, the club where he played most of his career. The ‘Pelé in the dictionary’ initiative collected more than 125,000 signatures in a month and a half, according to its organizers. The word is currently only available in the digital version of the dictionary, accompanied by the registered trademark symbol, but the firm intends to include it in its future printed editions.
The tribute to the only three-time world champion soccer player continues in South America, with Brasileirao and Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana holding minutes of silence before the start of the matches in honor of the man who internationalized soccer in Brazil. The inclusion of “Pelé” in the dictionary is a fitting tribute to arguably the greatest player in the history of The Beautiful Game, whose legacy continues to inspire and captivate fans around the world.