Nheengatu

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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    First attested in 1853,[1] of uncertain origin. Possibly a borrowing from either Araweté axa'ɨ, Guajajára waxa'i or Urubú-Kaapor wasai, all of them from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *wat͡saʔi. The expected forms *ûasa'i or *asa'i are not attested in Old Tupi, despite many authors claiming this etymology.[2][3][4]

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /wa.saˈi/, (Rio Negro) [wa.saˈʔi]
    • Rhymes: -i
    • Hyphenation: wa‧sa‧í

    Noun

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    wasaí (plural wasaí-itá)

    1. acai (any palm tree of the genus Euterpe)
      Synonyms: wasaí-iwa, yusara
    2. acai berry
    3. acai juice
      Synonym: wasaí yukisé

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    References

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    1. ^ Manoel Justiniano de Seixas (1853) Vocabulario da lingua indigena geral para o uso do Seminario Episcopal do Pará (in Portuguese), Pará: Typ. de Mattos e Comp.ª, page 62:Uassaí
    2. ^ açaí”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 20032024
    3. ^ açaí”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 20082024
    4. ^ açaí”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 20152024
    • Marcel Twardowsky Avila (2021) “wasaí”, in Proposta de dicionário nheengatu-português [Nheengatu–Portuguese dictionary proposal] (in Portuguese), São Paulo: USP, →DOI, page 816