Ceará
/se.aˈɾa/noun
A northeastern Brazilian state on the Atlantic coast, also used in English as its geographical name.
Did you know?The name Ceará is generally traced to Old Tupi, but historians still debate whether it referred to parrots, singing, hunting, or a particular coastal landscape.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-colonial period
Old Tupi
siará
“An Indigenous place-name recorded in forms that may have described the region or its natural features; the precise meaning is disputed.”
16th Century
Portuguese
Ceará
“Portuguese colonial spelling of the Indigenous geographical name.”
17th Century
Portuguese
Ceará
“Name used for the northeastern coastal territory in colonial records and maps.”
1822
Brazilian Portuguese
Ceará
“Name retained after Brazilian independence for the province.”
1889
Brazilian Portuguese
Ceará
“Name retained when the province became a state of the Brazilian Republic.”
Modern English
English
Ceará
“The Brazilian state; English-language sources commonly preserve the Portuguese spelling.”