tapuia

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• tapuio

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Tupi tapuîa.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /taˈpu.jɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /taˈpu.jɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /taˈpu.ja/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tɐˈpu.jɐ/

• Rhymes: -ujɐ
• Hyphenation: ta‧pui‧a

Adjective

tapuia m or f (plural tapuias) (Brazil)

1. (umbrella term) non-Tupi indigenous
2. (derogatory) rude, ignorant

Noun

tapuia m or f (plural tapuias) (Brazil)

1. (umbrella term, historical) a non-Tupi native of Brazil, usually of the Jê ethnicity, which inhabited the interior (non-coastal) areas of what is now Brazil
2. (derogatory) a native who, subordinated to whites, lost part of his or her own culture
3. (derogatory) caboclo, a person of mixed white and indigenous ethnicity
4. (North Brazil, nautical) a type of river vessel, with a flat bottom, open mouth and planked hull, used for fishing and transportation