Pelé becomes dictionary entry as synonym for exceptional

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also known as the King of Football, Pelé, has received yet another posthumous tribute. On Wednesday (Apr. 26), the Michaelis dictionary announced that it has included Pelé's nickname as an entry in its digital version. Furthermore, in the future, Pelé's name - the greatest player of all time - will also be included in the printed versions of the dictionary.

The entry defines the term 'Pelé' as a way to describe someone who is exceptional, incomparable, or unique, particularly when a person is considered the best in a certain area.

The entry reads: "pe.lé adj. m+f sm+f That or someone who is out of the ordinary, that or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone, like Pelé, the nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), who is considered the greatest athlete of all times; exceptional, incomparable, unique. He is the pelé of basketball. She is the pelé of tennis. She is the pelé of Brazilian drama."

The tribute was the result of a campaign that received more than 125,000 signatures of support and was presented during the 2023 edition of the Sports Summit São Paulo, the largest sports industry event in Latin America.

Michaelis is a brand of Portuguese language dictionaries published in Brazil by Melhoramentos publishing company. The first Michaelis dictionary was created in the late 19th century by German lexicographer Henriette Michaelis in collaboration with her sister, philologist Carolina Michaelis de Vasconcelos. Since 1950, the publishing house has expanded its offerings to include dictionaries in several languages, including French, English, and German.