Where does “Peru” come from?

Peru derives from Spanish Perú, which comes from an undetermined source, possibly Birú, of unknown ultimate origin and meaning.

Peru (English): Places in the United States

Definitions

  1. Places in the United States

Ancestry of “Peru”, step by step

Peru traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Spanish Perú

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SpanishPerúPeru
2Quechuapeluriver

via Latin cētus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatincētusAny large sea-animal, such as a whale, shark, seal, dogfish, dolphin, or tuna, or a sea monster
2Ancient Greekκῆτοςwhale, sea monster; abyss

Words derived from “Peru”

Every word from Quechua pelu →