The word ‘Pele’ has been added to a Brazilian dictionary as an adjective to describe someone who is “exceptional, incomparable, unique.”
The new entry in the Portuguese edition of the Michaelis dictionary reads: “The one that is extraordinary, or who because of his quality, value or superiority cannot be matched to anything or anyone, just like Pelé; nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the best athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique,” according to The Associated Press.
Examples of how the word can be used in a sentence include: “He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of tennis, she is the Pelé of Brazilian theater, he is the Pelé of medicine.”
The Michaelis dictionary made the announcement on Wednesday as part of a campaign that garnered over 125,000 signatures to recognize the late soccer great’s impact beyond the sport.
The Pelé Foundation, Santos FC, where he spent most of his playing career, and many Brazilians celebrated the decision by one of Brazil’s most popular dictionaries.
“The expression that was already used to refer to the best at something is already eternal in the pages of the dictionary,” Pelé’s social media channels said after the announcement. “We made history together and put the name of the King of Soccer into the Portuguese language. Pelé means ‘THE BEST.'”
As the game’s most prolific scorer, Pelé captivated fans and opponents for nearly two decades with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazilian national team.