Old Tupi edit

Etymology edit

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 edit

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

Noun edit

membyra (possessable)

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

Usage notes edit

  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 edit

Descendants edit

  • Nheengatu: mimbira

References edit

  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 (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 46, column 2