Mogi Guaçu
/moˈʒi ɡwaˈsu/noun
A Brazilian city and river in São Paulo State, whose name comes from a Tupi-Guarani expression.
Did you know?The element guaçu derives from Tupi-Guarani guasu, meaning “large” or “great,” while the full name is traditionally interpreted as “great snake,” although the first element’s historical analysis is debated.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Tupi-Guarani
Proto-Tupi-Guarani
*wasu
“Large or great; the reconstructed ancestor of guaçu/guasu.”
Precolonial Brazil
Tupi
mboîa guasu
“Traditionally interpreted as “great snake,” referring to the Mogi Guaçu River.”
16th–17th Century
Colonial Portuguese
Mogi Guaçu
“A Portuguese-recorded Indigenous river name in southeastern Brazil.”
19th Century
Brazilian Portuguese
Mogi Guaçu
“Name applied to the river and surrounding settlement in São Paulo Province.”
Modern English
English
Mogi Guaçu
“The standard English form of the Brazilian place-name, usually referring to the municipality or river.”