-gûasu

Old Tupi

Alternative forms

• -ûasu
• -usu (with paroxitones)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *-wat͡ʃu, from Proto-Tupian *-at͡ʃu.

Cognate with Mbyá Guaraní guaxu and Guaraní guasu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡʷaˈsu]
• Rhymes: -u
• Hyphenation: -gûa‧su

Suffix

-gûasu

1. forms the augmentative of nouns

   ‎paranã (“sea”) + ‎-gûasu → ‎paranãgûasu (“ocean”, literally “big sea”)

   • 1555, Joseph of Anchieta, chapter V, in Arte de grammatica da lingoa mais vſada na coſta do Braſil (overall work in Portuguese), Coimbra: Antonio de Mariz, published 1595, page 13:

     […] pirâgoaçû […]

     [ […] piragûasu […] ]

     Big fish.

   • 1618, Antônio de Araújo, “Do que paſsou deſpois, &c.” (chapter XI), in Cateciſmo na Lingoa Braſilica [Catechism in the Brazilian Language], Livro Terceiro do Cathecismo, e summa da Doctrina Christam [… ] (overall work in Old Tupi, Portuguese, and Latin), Lisbon: Pedro Crasbeeck, page 64v:

     Oçoquendab aêcaramemoã itá / goaçupepè.

     [Osokendab a'e karamemûã itagûasu pupé.]

     They sealed that tomb with a big stone.

2. much; many
   • c. 1583, Joseph of Anchieta, “Na feſta de .ſ. L^ço [At the Saint Lawrence Festival]” (chapter XLIV), in [livrinho de variaſ poeziaſ] [Booklet of various poems], Niterói, page 142, lines 698–702; republished as Maria de Lourdes de Paula Martins, compiler, Poesias, São Paulo, 1956, page 718:

     Ycaõygoaçu pipo / xeramũya jaguaruna? / eneĩ taçobeipo, / eri, auyete paco / ayeguac uinhemouna

     [I kaûĩgûasupipó / xe ramũîa Îagûaruna? / Ene'ĩ! T'asabeypó! / Erĩ! Aûîeté pakó, / aîegûak ûinhemoúna...]

     By the way, does my grandpa Jaguaruna have much cauim? Come on! I'm gonna get drunk! Wait! Actually, I must adorn myself with black paint...

3. very; a lot
   • 1622, anonymous author, Vocabulario na lingoa Braſilica, volume 2 (overall work in Old Tupi and Portuguese), Piratininga, page 108; republished as Carlos Drummond, editor, Vocabulário na Língua Brasílica, 2nd edition, São Paulo: USP, 1953:

     Xequerambuguaçû

     [Xe kerambugûasu]

     I snore a lot.

Usage notes

• -ûasu/-gûasu was the form used after a word ending in a stressed vowel; otherwise it would be -usu.

Derived terms

Old Tupi terms suffixed with -gûasu

'ybagûasu

'ybaremusu

'Ypa'ũgûasu

agûaragûasu

Ambu'aûasu

Aparaîtykabusu

Aragûasu

Ararusuaîa

gûaragûasu

gûyrasapukaîusu

inaîagûasu

Inĩgûasu

Iperuûasu

Kunhãûasutenhẽ

kupu'yûasu

marakaîagûasu

Marakaûasu

Murukuîaûasu

nhandugûasu

obyûasu

Paragûasu

Paranaûasu

paranãgûasu

pindobusu

pitangûagûasu

pûãgûasu

Reriûasu

so'ogûasurãîgûera

Soûerusu

tatuûasu

Tatuûasu

teîugûasu

tukanusu

ybytugûasu

ygarusu

ygûasu

îasytatagûasu

Îuraytaûasu

Ûyraesaûasu

Descendants

• Nheengatu: -wasú
• → Portuguese: -açu, -guaçu

References

• Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2005) Método Moderno de Tupi Antigo: a língua do Brasil dos primeiros séculos [Modern method of Old Tupi: the language of Brazil's early centuries]‎^[1] (in Portuguese), 3 edition, São Paulo: Global Editora, →ISBN, pages 125–126, 382–383
• Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2013) “-ûasu”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: The Classical Indigenous Language of Brazil] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, pages 492–493