Michaelis (dictionary)



Michaelis is a brand of dictionaries of the Portuguese language published in Brazil by Melhoramentos. Under this brand are also books about the grammar of a variety of foreign languages. The first Michaelis dictionary was created by the end of the 19th century by the German lexicographer Henriette Michaelis in a partnership with her sister Carolina Michaelis de Vasconcelos. The dictionary has versions in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Japanese.

History
In July 2015, an online petition by the LGBT community was created demanding the dictionary to review the definition of "marriage". The definition was, among others, a "legitimate union between man and woman". The petition requested that the word "people" were used instead of "man" and "woman". The petition got more than three thousand endorsements. The director of Melhoramentos made the requested changes.

During an event in April 2023, digital edition of Michaelis dictionary paid homage to footballer Pelé by incorporating him as a lemma, a few months subsequent to his death. It was reported that the printed versions of the dictionary would also feature this inclusion. The synonyms for "pelé", a noun and adjective that can be used for both masculine and feminine contexts, are "exceptional, incomparable, and unique".