tupi

Everyday

1. (a name) The Tupi are Indigenous peoples of Brazil, who lived along the Atlantic coast when Europeans arrived. tree →
2. Tupi is also their family of languages; many words, like jaguar, piranha, toucan and tapioca, came into English from Tupi through Portuguese. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and history lessons about Brazil and the Amazon. In word lessons it explains where animal names come from: jaguar, toucan, cashew, petunia. Kipling's Just So Stories mention the Amazon and its animals, such as the Jaguar.

Examples

• The word «jaguar» comes from the Tupi language. tree →
• The Tupi lived in villages along the coast of Brazil. tree →
• Many Brazilian place names are Tupi words. tree →
• «Toucan» came into English from Tupi through Portuguese. tree →
• Tupi people grew cassava for food. tree →
• Some Tupi words are still used in Brazilian Portuguese. tree →
• Vambagen, the Brazilian historian (now Visconde de Rio Branco), tried to prove a relationship between the ancient Egyptians, or other Turanian stock, and the Tupi Indians. tree →

Note

A proper name: write it with a capital T. Sometimes spelled Tupí. Not an English word itself; it is the name of a people and their languages.