Pelé Enters Dictionary as Synonym for “Unique”

Pelé, the famous soccer player who passed away in December at the age of 82, has now been recognized in the Portuguese-language Michaelis dictionary. This dictionary is widely used in Brazil, and it has included the term “Pelé” as a new adjective in its online version.

The Pelé Foundation had campaigned for this honor, and it was successful in gathering over 125,000 signatures in support of the cause. As a result, the dictionary has officially recognized “Pelé” as a term that represents something exceptional, incomparable, and unique.

Brazilian Player Pelé

Pelé was a Brazilian player who achieved a great deal of success in his career. He was the only player to have won the World Cup three times and is considered to be one of the best soccer players in history. He scored an incredible 1,281 goals throughout his career, playing for clubs like Santos in Brazil, the Brazilian national team, and the New York Cosmos.

With this recognition in the Michaelis dictionary, Pelé’s legacy will continue to be celebrated as an example of exceptional achievement and unique talent in the world of soccer.

Since the passing of Pelé due to complications from colon cancer, his former club Santos, sports channel SporTV, and the Pelé Foundation have been advocating for his name to be included in the dictionary as a recognized term. They believe that “Pelé” should be used to describe someone or something exceptional and incomparable.

Michaelis Dictionaries Announcement to Include the Word Pelé

On Wednesday, the publishers of the Michaelis dictionaries announced that “Pelé” would be added to the digital edition of their Portuguese-language dictionary immediately, and the printed version in the next edition.

The entry defines “Pelé” as an adjective that describes something or someone who is out of the ordinary, and by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone.

The entry exactly reads: “pe.lé adj. That (which) or someone who is out of the ordinary, which or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone, just like Pelé, nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), who is considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique.”

🇧🇷Pele will enter the Portuguese dictionary, after a campaign from the Pele Foundation.
He will do so as a noun
“Something or someone that is out of the ordinary, something or someone that by virtue of its quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone."🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/zfTYGOGHz6

— Football Fans Tribe 🇳🇬 ⚽ (@FansTribeHQ) April 27, 2023

The Pelé Foundation, a charitable organization established to preserve the player’s legacy, has described this recognition as a fitting tribute to “the king”. The addition of “Pelé” as an adjective to the Michaelis dictionary signifies the enduring impact that Pelé had on the world of sports and popular culture.