acauã

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese acauã, borrowed from Old Tupi kaûã.

Noun

acauã (plural acauãs)

1. Synonym of laughing falcon
   • 1984, Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Helen R. Lane, The War of the End of the World, Folio Society, published 2012, page 20:

     There were so many of them that there were not enough acauãs to finish them off, and in those topsy-turvy days it was not a rare sight to see serpents devouring that predatory bird rather than, as in days gone by, the acauã taking wing with its snake prey in its mouth.

   • 2000, José de Alencar, translated by Clifford E. Landers, Iracema:

     “The Pitiguara chieftain is brave and bold: Irapuã is cunning and treacherous like the acauã.”

   • 2004, Nicholas Gabriel Arons, Waiting for Rain, page 5:

     The eggs of the female acauã serve as an antidote to venomous snakebites.

Translations

laughing falcon — see laughing falcon

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• acuã, cauã, uacauã

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Tupi kaûã. Doublet of Cauã.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.kawˈɐ̃/ [a.kaʊ̯ˈɐ̃]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ.kawˈɐ̃/

• Rhymes: -ɐ̃
• Hyphenation: a‧cau‧ã

Noun

acauã m (plural acauãs)

1. (Brazil) laughing falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans)

Descendants

• → English: acauã

References

• “acauã”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “acauã”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
• “acauã”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “acauã”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025