piranha

See also: Piranha

English

Red-bellied piranha

Alternative forms

• piraña, pirana
• piraya (obsolete)

Etymology

First attested in 1869. The term entered English either via Portuguese piranha or Spanish piraña, from Old Tupi pirãîa.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɪˈɹɑːn(j)ə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɪˈɹɑn(j)ə/, /pɪˈɹæn(j)ə/

Noun

piranha (plural piranhas or piranha)

1. (ichthyology) Any of certain freshwater fish of the family Serrasalmidae, native to South America; they are characterised by razor-sharp teeth and a reputation of being ferocious predators despite most species being omnivorous.

   Coordinate terms: pacu, silver dollar

Usage notes

• Piranhas form a paraphyletic group.

Derived terms

• piranha etch
• piranha solution
• piranhic
• red-bellied piranha
• red piranha
• social piranha

Descendants

• ⇒ Translingual: †Megapiranha

Translations

South American fish

• Arabic: بِيرَانَا f (bīrānā)
• Assamese: পিৰানা (pirana)
• Belarusian: піра́ння f (piránnja)
• Bulgarian: пира́ня f (piránja)
• Catalan: piranya (ca) f
• Chamicuro: kas̈hajpa
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 食人鯧 / 食人鲳 (shírénchāng), 水虎魚 / 水虎鱼 (zh) (shuǐhǔyú), 比拉魚 / 比拉鱼 (bǐlāyú), 食人魚 / 食人鱼 (shírényú)

• Czech: piraňa (cs) f
• Danish: piratfisk c
• Dutch: piranha (nl), pireng m (Suriname)
• Faroese: piranja
• Finnish: piraija (fi)
• French: piranha (fr) m
• German: Piranha (de) m
• Greek: πιράνχας (el) (piránchas)
• Guaraní: pirãi
• Hebrew: פיראניה f (pirana)
• Hindi: पिरान्हा (pirānhā)
• Hungarian: pirája (hu), piranha (hu)
• Italian: piranha m
• Japanese: ピラニア (ja) (pirania)
• Korean: 피라냐 (ko) (piranya)
• Malay: ikan pirana, pirana
• Malayalam: പിരാന (pirāna)
• Norwegian: piraja

  Bokmål: piraja m

  Nynorsk: piraja m

• Old Tupi: pirãîa
• Persian: پیرانا (pirânâ)
• Polish: pirania (pl) f
• Portuguese: piranha (pt) f
• Romanian: pirania f
• Russian: пира́нья (ru) f (piránʹja)
• Slovak: piraňa f
• Spanish: piraña (es) f
• Sranan Tongo: piren
• Swedish: piraya (sv) c
• Thai: ปลาปิรันยา (bplaa bpì-ran-yaa)
• Turkish: pirana (tr)
• Ukrainian: піра́нья f (piránʹja)
• Vietnamese: cá răng đao, cá piranha

Cebuano

Etymology

From English piranha, from Old Tupi pirãia (“fish”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pi‧ran‧ha

Noun

piranha

1. a piranha

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese piranha.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈrɑn.jaː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pi‧ran‧ha
• Rhymes: -ɑnjaː

Noun

piranha c (plural piranha's, diminutive piranhaatje n)

1. piranha

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pi.ʁa.na/, /pi.ʁa.ɲa/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

piranha m (plural piranhas)

1. piranha

Further reading

• “piranha”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

From Old Tupi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈraɲ.ɲa/
• Rhymes: -aɲɲa

Noun

piranha m (invariable)

1. piranha

Old Tupi

Noun

piranha

1. Alternative form of pirãîa

Portuguese

Piranha (sense 1)

Piranhas (sense 3)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Tupi pirãîa, from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pirãj, from *pira + *tãj.

Cognate with Nheengatu piranha.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /piˈɾɐ̃.ɲɐ/ [piˈɾɐ̃.j̃ɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /piˈɾɐ̃.ɲɐ/ [piˈɾɐ̃.j̃ɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /piˈɾɐ.ɲa/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /piˈɾɐ.ɲɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /piˈɾɐ.ɲɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /piˈɾa.ɲɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɐɲɐ
• Hyphenation: pi‧ra‧nha

Noun

piranha f (plural piranhas)

2. piranha
3. (derogatory, vulgar, Brazil) slut, whore

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vadia

   • 1979, Carlos Heitor Cony, 59:57 from the start, in Anselmo Duarte, director, Os Trombadinhas, Rio de Janeiro: Embrafilme; Ipanema Filmes:

     Arlete (Ana Maria Nascimento e Silva): Você... Você é o Pelé?
     Edson Arantes do Nascimento: Não. Eu sou o Jô Soares, sua piranha!

     Arlete (Ana Maria Nascimento e Silva): Are you... Are you Pelé?
     Edson Arantes do Nascimento: No. I'm Jô Soares, you bitch!

5. (Brazil) claw clip

   Synonym: piranha de cabelo

Derived terms

• boi de piranha
• piranha de cabelo
• piranha-amarela
• piranha-doce
• piranha-preta
• piranha-vermelha

Descendants

• → Dutch: piranha
• → English: piranha

Further reading

• “piranha”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French piranha.

Noun

piranha m (plural piranha)

1. piranha

Declension

Declension of piranha

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	piranha	piranhaul		piranha	piranhai
genitive-dative	piranha	piranhaului		piranha	piranhalor
vocative	piranhaule			piranhalor