eîmbaba

Old Tupi

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *eɨmaβ.

Cognate with Mbyá Guaraní ymba.

Noun

eîmbaba (IIa class pluriform, absolute teîmbaba, R1 reîmbaba, R2 seîmbaba) (possessable)

1. livestock
   • 1595 [1555], Joseph of Anchieta, chapter V, in Arte de grammatica da lingoa mais vſada na coſta do Braſil (overall work in Portuguese), Coimbra: Antonio de Mariz, page 14v:

     […] xéreimbâba tapiîra

     [ […] xe reîmbaba tapi'ira.]

     My cow.

     (literally, “My livestock tapir.”)

2. pet (animal kept as a companion)

Usage notes

• With the advent of colonization, Tupians used the names of similar native animals to call the unknown species brought by the Europeans. Neologisms were then created by using eté (“true”) and eîmbaba／mimbaba (“domestic animal”) as a form to differentiate the old and new species, respectively.

Synonyms

• mimbaba

Derived terms

• eîmbab
• eîmbaba îagûara

 

Descendants

• Nheengatu: imbawa
• → Brazilian Portuguese: xerimbabo

References

• Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2013) “eîmbaba”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil (in Portuguese), 1 edition, São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 91, column 1