Where does “piranha” come from?

piranha (English) comes from Portuguese piranha, from Old Tupi pirá, from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pira — fish.

piranha (English): Any of the carnivorous freshwater fish living in...

Definitions

  1. Any of the carnivorous freshwater fish living in...

Ancestry of “piranha”, step by step

piranha traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Portuguese piranha

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Portuguesepiranhapiranha; slut
2Old Tupipiráfish
3Proto-Tupi-Guarani*pirafish

via Old Tupi pirãia

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Tupipirãiapiranha. Any of the carnivorous freshwater fish...
2Old Tupiãiatooth

Words derived from “piranha”

Every word from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pira →Every word from Old Tupi pirá →Every word from Portuguese piranha →