Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as the King of Football, Pelé, received yet another posthumous tribute. In April, the Michaelis dictionary announced that it included Pelé’s nickname as an entry in its digital version. Furthermore, in the future, Pelé’s name — the greatest player of all time — will also be included in the printed versions of the dictionary.
The entry defines the term “Pelé” as a way to describe someone exceptional, incomparable, or unique, particularly when a person is considered the best in a certain area.
The entry states: “pe.lé adj. m+f sm+f Aquele ou aquela que está fora do comum, que ou quem, em virtude de sua qualidade, valor ou superioridade, não pode ser equiparado a coisa ou pessoa alguma, à semelhança de Pelé, apelido de Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considerado o maior atleta de todos os tempos; excepcional, incomparável, único. Ele é o pelé do basquete. Ela é a pelé do tênis. Ela é a pelé do drama brasileiro.”
The tribute was the result of a campaign that received over 125,000 supporting signatures and was presented during the 2023 edition of the Sports Summit São Paulo, the largest sports industry event in Latin America.
Michaelis is a brand of Portuguese language dictionaries published in Brazil by the Melhoramentos publishing house. The first Michaelis dictionary was created in the late 19th century by German lexicographer Henriette Michaelis in collaboration with her sister, philologist Carolina Michaelis de Vasconcelos. Since 1950, the publisher has expanded its offerings to include dictionaries in several languages, including French, English, and German.
Source: Agência Brasil