Paranaûasu

Old Tupi

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Tupi-Guarani *paranã

Old Tupi paranã

Old Tupi paraná

Proto-Tupian *-at͡ʃu

Proto-Tupi-Guarani *-wat͡ʃu

Old Tupi -gûasu

Old Tupi Paranaûasu

From paraná (“river”) +‎ -ûasu (“big”).

Proper noun

Paranaûasu (Língua Geral Amazônica)

1. (hapax) Amazon (a river in northern South America)

   Synonym: Paranapitinga

References

• Francisco Xavier Ribeiro Sampaio (1774–1775) Diario da Viagem da Capitania do Rio Negro (in Portuguese), line LXX; republished Lisbon: Typografia da Academia, 1825, page 26: “Paranáuasú [Paranaûasu]”