Sumé

Old Tupi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sũˈmɛ]
• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Hyphenation: Su‧mé

Proper noun

Sumé

1. name of an entity from Tupi mythology that would have taught humanity about the use of fire, tools and agriculture
   • 1663, Simão de Vasconcellos, Chronica da Companhia de Jesu do Estado do Brasil, Livro primeiro (overall work in Portuguese), Lisboa: Henrique Valente de Oliveira, page 113, column 1:

     Pay, Sumê pipuera a angâba aé […]

     [Pa'i, Sumé pypûera'angaba a'e […] ]

     Father, these are Sumé's footprints.

Usage notes

Because of the supposedly similarity with the name of Saint Thomas (São Tomé, in Portuguese), a legend persisted across South America that the apostle had once visisted these lands and was venerated by the Tupi and Guarani peoples.

Descendants

• → Brazilian Portuguese: Sumé

References

• Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2013) “Sumé”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 448, column 1