Wow
There are controversies as to the origin of this typical caipira dialect, widely spoken in Minas Gerais and Goiás. For the philologist Amadeu Amaral (1875-1929), this expression, which indicates surprise or doubt, would have arisen from the change of the word “olhai” (with the meaning of “pay attention”). Another theory goes back to the construction of railroads with the help of the English, when the country people would have translated the word “why” into Portuguese, questioning the “why” of that whole scheme.
devil
According to professor and writer Deonísio da Silva, this term is a euphemism for devil. As in Brazilian popular culture, quoting this word would invoke the devil himself, over time, people created “alternative” versions, so as not to run that risk. This is the same explanation for the popularization of “demo” instead of “demon”. Another euphemism with this origin would be “thing-bad”.
Vixe
There are no official records, but there are several references that the term is a reduced form of the Catholic exclamation “Virgem Maria!”, said in moments of surprise or fright. An even shorter form is the “ixe”, also widely used in Tupiniquin lands. Around here we still have the “no”, a kind of “abbreviation” of Our Lady, and the “afe” or “aff”, which abbreviated the exclamation “Ave, Maria!”
Brazil
There are two theories that explain the birth of this expression so used in Rio Grande do Sul. The first is that it came from “che” (something like our “hey”), a common term among Argentines, Uruguayans and Paraguayans who live in Rio Grande do Sul. close to the border with Brazil. Another possibility is that the expression came from the Guarani language, in which it can mean something like “I”, “my” or “friend”.
jeez
Registered in the Houaiss dictionary as an interjection that expresses satisfaction or amazement at something, this is a so-called “expressive word”, without a defined origin and characterized by short, meaningless sounds. Also spelled as “eta”, its use is very common in the Brazilian Northeast.
SOURCES Books Where Words Come From: Origins and Curiosities of the Portuguese Languageby Deonísio Silva, and The Caipira Dialect, by Amadeu Amaral; websites The Curious GuideSTUDENT GUIDE and SUPER INTERESTING