missa-pytuna

Old Tupi

Etymology

Literally, “Mass night”.

The first part is an unadapted borrowing from Portuguese missa, which is why the final syllable was not dropped in the compound. A proper adaptation would result in *mixá, following the same rules seen in kamixá: palatalization of /s/ into /ʃ/ after /i/ and change of stress from a paroxytone to an oxytone, as no stems could end in ⟨s⟩ or ⟨x⟩.

Noun

missa-pytuna (?) (Língua Geral Amazônica)

1. (Christianity) Christmas

Descendants

• Nheengatu: misa-pituna

References

• João de Arronches (1739) “DIA DE NATAL”, in Caderno da Lingua (overall work in Portuguese); republished as “O caderno da lingua ou Vocabulario Portuguez-Tupi”, in Plínio Ayrosa, editor, Revista do Museu Paulista, volume XXI, São Paulo: Imprensa Official do Estado, 1934, page 164: “missa petúna”
• Anton Meisterburg (a. 1756) “Natal do C. N. S^or.”, in [Dicionário de Trier] (overall work in Portuguese and Old Tupi), Baixo Xingu, Pará, page 28, column 1, line 34; republished as Jean-Claude Muller et al., editors, Dicionário de língua geral amazônica, Potsdam: University of Potsdam, 2019, →DOI, page 205: “Miſsa pytúna”
• annonymous (c. 1757) “Natal de nosso Senhor Jesus Christo”, in [Vocabulario Portuguez–Brasilico] (overall work in Portuguese); republished as Ernesto Ferreira França, compiler, Chrestomathia da lingua brazilica, Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus, 1859, page 92: “missa pytûra”