Etymology Explorer › Portuguese

Where does “São Paulo” come from?

São Paulo (Portuguese) comes from Portuguese São, from Old Portuguese são, from Latin sānus, from Proto-Indo-European swā-n- — healthy; whole; active; vigorous.

Ancestry of “São Paulo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1PortugueseSãoforms the titles of male saints whose names begin...
2Old Portuguesesão—
3Latinsānus—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswā-n-healthy; whole; active; vigorous

Words derived from “São Paulo”

  • são-paulino
  • サンパウロ
  • ساو باولو
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swā-n- →