Mogi-Guaçu
/moʒi ɡwaˈsu/noun
A municipality and river in São Paulo State, Brazil, named from a Tupi-derived expression.
Did you know?The name is commonly interpreted as Tupi-derived for “great snake,” likely evoking the river’s long, winding course through the landscape.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Old Tupi
mboîa / moîa
“Snake; the first element is commonly connected with a Tupi word for serpent.”
Precolonial period
Old Tupi
ûasu / guaçu
“Large or great; a widespread Tupi descriptive element.”
16th–17th Century
Colonial Portuguese
Mogi-Guaçu
“A Portuguese-rendered Indigenous place-name, generally understood as “Great Snake.””
18th–19th Century
Brazilian Portuguese
Mogi-Guaçu
“Name used for the river and surrounding settlement in São Paulo Province.”
Modern English
English
Mogi-Guaçu
“The established name of a Brazilian municipality and river.”