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Copaiba

3 stages from Old Tupi to English.

Today it means an aromatic oil-resin from a South American tree, used in traditional medicine, perfumery, and varnish

Where does the word "copaiba" come from? It comes from Old Tupi kopa'yba, passing through Portuguese before entering English (1712).

1
Stage 1 of 3
kopa'yba
Old Tupi · pre-1500s
"a resin-storing tree"
described the tree's trunk as a natural reservoir of aromatic oil resin
2
Stage 2 of 3
copaíba
Portuguese · 1600s
"an aromatic oil-resin from a South American tree"
adopted by Portuguese colonists in Brazil for the medicinal tree oil
3
Stage 3 of 3
copaiba
English · 1712
"an aromatic resin used medicinally and in perfumery"
borrowed into English through European medical and botanical literature
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