caganer

Catalan

el caganer (noun, sense 4)

Etymology

From cagar, from Latin cacare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [kə.ɣəˈne]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ka.ɣaˈneɾ]
• Rhymes: -e(ɾ)

Adjective

caganer (feminine caganera, masculine plural caganers, feminine plural caganeres)

1. shitting frequently
2. (figurative) cowardly

   Synonym: covard

Noun

caganer m (plural caganers, feminine caganera)

1. someone who shits frequently
2. toddler
3. coward

   Synonyms: covard, cagacalces

4. (folklore, with definite article) "the defecator" (a small statue that may be found in the periphery of Bethlehem Nativity scenes in Catalonia and Andorra)

Usage notes

• "The defecator" is a traditional symbol of fertility and good harvest among the Catalans.

Further reading

• “caganer” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “caganer”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “caganer” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.