favela

[ fuh-vel-uh; Portuguese fah-ve-lah ]
/ fəˈvɛl ə; Portuguese fɑˈvɛ lɑ /

noun

a shantytown in or near a city, especially in Brazil; slum area.

Origin of favela

1945–50; < Brazilian Portuguese: alleged to be a name given to a hill in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, where such towns were built circa 1900; literally, a shrub of the family Euphorbiaceae, derivative of Portuguese fava bean < Latin faba

Example sentences from the Web for favela

British Dictionary definitions for favela

favela
/ (fɑːˈveɪlə) /

noun

(in Brazil) a shanty or shantytown

Word Origin for favela

C20: from Portuguese