A dictionary in Brazil has added the name of Brazilian football legend Pelé in honour of the three-time FIFA World Cup champion.
The adjective “pelé” has been added to the Portuguese-language Michaelis dictionary as a way to talk about someone who is “exceptional, incomparable, or unique”.
It is currently among the 167,000 words in the online edition and is anticipated to appear in the printed edition as well.
The inclusion follows the gathering of more than 125,000 signatures for a campaign organized by the Pelé Foundation to recognize his influence beyond football.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, passed away in December 2022 at the age of 82 after spending time in a Brazilian hospital.
According to the definition in the dictionary: “pe.lé adj. That or someone who is out of the ordinary, who or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equalled to anything or anyone, just like Pelé, nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), who is considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique.”
The Pelé Foundation celebrated the dictionary inclusion, saying it was a fitting tribute to “the king”.
O REI OFICIALMENTE ESTÁ NO DICIONÁRIO!
Ele é o pelé do Basquete. Ela é a pelé do Tênis. A expressão que já era usada para se referir ao melhor naquilo que faz está eternizada nas páginas do dicionário! Juntos fizemos história e colocamos o nome do Rei do futebol na nossa língua… pic.twitter.com/Yy5RwWjq8J
— Pelé (@Pele) April 26, 2023
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“The expression that was once used to refer to the best at what you do is eternalized in the pages of the dictionary,” they wrote on social media.
“Together we made history and put the name of the king of football in our Portuguese language.
“Pelé the meaning of best.”
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