pernil

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Spanish pernilbor.

English pernil

Borrowed from Spanish pernil.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɝˈnil/

Noun

pernil

1. Slow-roasted marinated pork leg or shoulder, typically marinated with sofrito, as prepared in the cuisines of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.
   • 2005, Wine & Spirits, volume 24, pages 36-37:

     You'll find a pernil sandwich on the menu at every bar in Santiago […] With our first two South American wines, the pernil made its preferences clear. […]

   • 2022, Illyanna Maisonet, Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook, page 120:

     Leftover Pernil Sandwiches / Makes 2 sandwiches This is just another one of those non-recipe recipes that I make for myself when I have pernil left over. There's nothing special about it, […]

Asturian

Etymology

From pierna +‎ -il.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /peɾˈnil/ [peɾˈnil]
• Rhymes: -il
• Syllabification: per‧nil

Noun

pernil m (plural perniles)

1. ham

   Synonym: xamón

2. thigh

   Synonyms: cadril, zanguiellu

References

• “pernil”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “pernil”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Aragonese pernil, from perna +‎ -il.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [pərˈnil]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [peɾˈnil]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

Noun

pernil m (plural pernils)

1. ham of pork

Derived terms

• pernil cuit
• pernil dolç
• pernil ibèric
• pernil salat

Further reading

• “pernil”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “pernil”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “pernil” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “pernil”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Galician

Etymology

Attested since 1707. From perna (“leg”) +‎ -il.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛɾˈnil/ [pɛɾˈniɫ]
• Rhymes: -il
• Hyphenation: per‧nil

Noun

pernil m (plural pernís)

1. ham (meat from the thigh of quadrupeds)

   Synonyms: xamón, lacón

   • 1707, Salvador Francisco Roel, Entremés ao real e feliz parto da nosa raíña:

     Afonso:
     Pond'a messa, Cathaliña.
     Christobo:
     Sacad'essa bota, Irena.
     Alberte:
     Sacà, Marta, esse pernil.
     Cathaliña:
     Homes tende pouca pressa,
     que para todo ay bagar.

     Afonso:
     "Set the table, Cathaliña."
     Christobo:
     "Bring out that wineskin, Irena."
     Alberte:
     "Bring out, Marta, that ham."
     Cathaliña:
     "Men, be in little hurry,
     there is a time for everything."

References

• “pernil”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “pernil”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “pernil”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “pernil”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “pernil”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “pernil”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Pernil de cordeiro

Etymology

From perna +‎ -il.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /peʁˈniw/ [peɦˈniʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /peʁˈniw/ [peɦˈniʊ̯]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /peɾˈniw/ [peɾˈniʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /peʁˈniw/ [peʁˈniʊ̯]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /peɻˈniw/ [peɻˈniʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨɾˈnil/ [pɨɾˈniɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨɾˈnil/ [pɨɾˈniɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨɾˈni.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -il, (Brazil) -iw
• Hyphenation: per‧nil

Noun

pernil m (plural pernis)

1. meat from the thigh of quadrupeds

Derived terms

• esticar o pernil

Further reading

• “pernil”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “pernil”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “pernil”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “pernil”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin perna (“leg”) with the suffix -il indicating parts of the body.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /peɾˈnil/ [peɾˈnil]
• Rhymes: -il
• Syllabification: per‧nil

Noun

pernil m (plural perniles)

1. ham leg of pork

   Synonym: nalgada

2. (Chile) knuckle of pork
3. (Venezuela) dish made out of ham leg
4. (Colombia) chicken thigh and leg

Further reading

• “pernil”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025