Pelé is now the dictionary word that means That or one who is out of the ordinary, following a campaign, Pele in the dictionary, by Sportv and Pelé Foundation involving than 100,000 fan subscriptions to the greatest of all time. Michaelis has agreed to make Pelé official as an entry in the dictionary. The word can already be checked in the digital version and will be included in the printed versions in future editions of the dictionary.
The entry:
pe.lé® adj: That or one who is out of the ordinary, who or who by virtue of his quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone, just as Pelé, nicknamed Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique. Examples: He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of tennis, she is the Pelé of Brazilian dramaturgy, he is the Pelé of medicine.
The initiative follows the movement to eternalise Pelé (1940-2022) in the Portuguese language and a campaign developed by the agency, End to End, curated by Memorabilia do Esporte and the academic consultancy at Miami Ad School.
“The Pelé campaign in the dictionary is one of the most original we have ever participated. We want to thank all the partners involved in this campaign and, of course, all the fans for making it a reality. His name in the dictionary is a very important piece of his legacy that will keep Pele alive forever,” stated Joe Fraga, executive director of the Pelé Foundation.
The official inclusion of the word Pelé as an entry happened on Wednesday, April 26, during the Sport Summit in São Paulo. Joe Fraga, representative of the Pelé Foundation, received a painting with the entry of representatives of Sportv and Melhoramentos, editor in charge of Michaelis.
“To notice a jargon that was already in people’s daily lives and through his officialisation to pay this tribute is an incredible celebration. Pelé is eternal and deserves to be eternalised in every possible way. Now it will also be in the Portuguese language,” noted Bruno Brum, chief marketing officer of the End to End Agency.
