Where does “piranha” come from?
piranha (French) comes from Portuguese piranha, from Old Tupi pirá, from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pira.
Ancestry of “piranha”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | piranha | piranha; slut |
| 2 | Old Tupi | pirá | fish |
| 3 | Proto-Tupi-Guarani | *pira | — |