Criança furiosa ameaça sair de casa

Where does the Portuguese phrase “ir embora” come from?

Ir embora is how Portuguese says “to leave” and mean it: vou embora (“I’m off”), vai embora! (“get out of here!”). Hiding inside it is a farewell blessing. Embora is a worn-down em boa hora — “in a good hour” — once said to send someone off with luck, the way English once said “godspeed.” The good wishes faded out of it; only the departure survived.

The same word travelled further and became the conjunction embora, “although” — embora chova, vamos sair. Grammarians trace that to speakers reinterpreting the old good-luck wish as a concession. Two practical notes: in the departure sense Portuguese pairs embora with a verb of motion (vou embora, vem embora), so it rarely stands alone in Brazil; and ir embora is leaving the place behind, while sair is just stepping out for a while.