Old Tupi

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Etymology

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Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *mẽmbyT, from Proto-Tupian *mẽpyT.[1] By surface analysis, mena (husband) +‎ a'yra (semen).[2][note 1]

Cognate with Guaraní memby.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /mɛ̃ˈᵐbɨ.ɾa/
  • Rhymes: -ɨɾa
  • Hyphenation: me‧mby‧ra

Noun

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membyra (possessable)

  1. child of a woman
  2. godchild of a godmother
  3. pup; cub (young of a female animal)

Usage notes

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  1. ^ In Tupian culture, women weren't seen as responsible for the conception of the children but a mere receptacle of the men's seed.

Coordinate terms

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Descendants

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  • Nheengatu: mimbira

References

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  1. ^ Andrey Nikulin (2020) Proto-Macro-Jê: um estudo reconstrutivo[1] (in Portuguese), Brasília: UnB
  2. ^ Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2013) “membyra”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: the classical indigenous language of Brazil] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 46, column 2