Peru
/pəˈruː/noun
A country in western South America.
Did you know?The name Peru likely came from a Spanish colonial misunderstanding of a local ruler’s or region’s name near Panama, and was later transferred to the Inca realm by the Spanish.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-16th Century
Indigenous
Biru / Pirú
“A local place or ruler’s name on the Panamanian coast, recorded by early Spanish chroniclers”
Early 16th Century
Spanish
Perú
“A name the Spanish used for lands and peoples farther south in the Andes”
1530s
Spanish
Perú
“The Spanish colonial label for the Inca Empire and surrounding territory”
Modern English
English
Peru
“The modern South American country name”