capybara

Where does the word "capybara" come from? It comes from Tupi kapiyva, passing through Portuguese before entering English (1770s).

Capybara’s story begins in Tupi: kapiyva meant “grass-eater.” Literally 'grass-eater', naming the giant rodent of South American rivers. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese as capivara. Tupi 'eater of slender grass'. It reached English by 1770s as capybara. Appeared as early as 1670 in the geographer John Ogilby's compilations of New World travel accounts. Today, capybara means the world's largest living rodent, a semi-aquatic mammal native to South America.

1. Stage 1 · Tupi · pre-1500s kapiyva "grass-eater", literally 'grass-eater', naming the giant rodent of South American rivers.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese · 1600s capivara "the world's largest rodent", Tupi 'eater of slender grass'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1770s capybara "the largest living rodent, native to South America", appeared as early as 1670 in the geographer John Ogilby's compilations of New World travel accounts.