caralho.

Etymology tree Ancient Greek χάραξ (khárax)bor.? Vulgar Latin *charax? Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -culum Vulgar Latin *characulum Old Galician-Portuguese caralho Portuguese caralho Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese caralho. Further etymology is uncertain, but the most plausible source on the basis of both semantics and historical phonology appears to be unattested Vulgar Latin *characulum, which would have been a Latinized diminutive of Ancient Greek χάραξ (khárax, “stick”). Doublet of carago. Certain cognates include Spanish carajo, Galician carallo and Catalan carall. Attempts to attribute Italian same-meaning cazzo to the same etymon fail on phonological grounds, as the /r/ of carajo (or its absence in cazzo) remains unexplained, and no Latin phonological sequence develops as both /x/ in Spanish and /tts/ in Italian.

Etymology tree Ancient Greek χάραξ (khárax)bor.? Vulgar Latin *charax? Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -culum Vulgar Latin *characulum Old Galician-Portuguese caralho Portuguese caralho Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese caralho. Further etymology is uncertain, but the most plausible source on the basis of both semantics and historical phonology appears to be unattested Vulgar Latin *characulum, which would have been a Latinized diminutive of Ancient Greek χάραξ (khárax, “stick”). Doublet of carago. Certain cognates include Spanish carajo, Galician carallo and Catalan carall. Attempts to attribute Italian same-meaning cazzo to the same etymon fail on phonological grounds, as the /r/ of carajo (or its absence in cazzo) remains unexplained, and no Latin phonological sequence develops as both /x/ in Spanish and /tts/ in Italian.