Where does “piranha” come from?

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

piranha (Mirandese): piranha (fish of the subfamily Serrasalminae)

Definitions

  1. piranha (fish of the subfamily Serrasalminae)

Ancestry of “piranha”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Portuguesepiranhapiranha; slut
2Old Tupipiráfish
3Proto-Tupi-Guarani*pirafish
Every word from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pira →Every word from Old Tupi pirá →Every word from Portuguese piranha →