Paraná River
/ˌpærənɑː ˈrɪvər/noun
A major river in South America flowing through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina before joining the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata.
Did you know?The name Paraná comes from Guaraní, one of the Indigenous languages whose vocabulary still shapes major South American place-names despite centuries of European colonization.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-colonial period
Guaraní
paraná
“River; the exact internal analysis of the word is uncertain.”
16th Century
Spanish
Paraná
“Indigenous river-name adopted by Spanish explorers and mapmakers.”
17th Century
Spanish
río Paraná
“Paraná River; Spanish río was added to clarify the geographic feature.”
18th Century
English
Paraná River
“English usage for the major river of southern South America.”
Modern English
English
Paraná River
“The established English name of the river system.”