Paranaíba
/paɾɐnaˈibɐ/noun
A major river in Brazil that forms part of the border between Minas Gerais and Goiás before joining the Grande River.
Did you know?The name is commonly analyzed as Tupi in origin, but scholars and Brazilian geographic sources differ on the precise meaning of its second element, so “bad river” should be treated as a traditional interpretation rather than absolute certainty.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Colonial period
Proto-Tupi
paranã
“Large river, sea, or river resembling the sea; the source of Paraná in many Tupi etymologies.”
Pre-Colonial period
Tupi
paranã-yba
“A traditional analysis combining paranã with a second element often interpreted as “bad,” “unpleasant,” or associated with water; the exact analysis is disputed.”
16th–17th Century
Colonial Portuguese
Paranaíba
“Portuguese rendering of an Indigenous river-name in central Brazil.”
18th–19th Century
Brazilian Portuguese
Rio Paranaíba
“The Paranaíba River, increasingly fixed in Portuguese maps and administrative records.”
Modern English
English
Paranaíba
“The Brazilian river and, by extension, places and institutions named after it.”
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