Guarani
/ˌɡwɑːrəˈniː/noun
A member of an Indigenous people of South America, their language, or the currency of Paraguay.
Did you know?Guarani is one of the rare Indigenous languages in the Americas spoken widely across an entire nation, including by many Paraguayans who are not ethnically Guarani.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Colonial Period
Guaraní
guarani
“An Indigenous ethnonym and linguistic form used within the Guaraní cultural and language sphere; its deeper internal derivation is uncertain.”
16th Century
Spanish
guaraní
“The name recorded by Spanish colonizers for the Indigenous people and their language in the Río de la Plata region.”
16th–17th Century
Portuguese
guarani
“A borrowed name for the people and language in Portuguese accounts of Brazil and Paraguay.”
19th Century
Spanish
guaraní
“A recognized name for the language and people; Paraguay’s national identity increasingly embraced Guaraní.”
1943
Spanish
guaraní
“The name adopted for Paraguay’s national currency, the guaraní.”
Modern English
English
Guarani
“A South American Indigenous language, people, or Paraguay’s currency.”