Tupí Etymology - Origin & History

Tupí

/tuːˈpiː/noun

Tupí refers to a major Indigenous language family of South America and to its peoples, especially in historical contexts.

Did you know?Tupí is not one single language but a broad family whose languages contributed numerous words to Portuguese and, through it, to English.

Etymological Timeline

Pre-Colonial Period

Tupí

“A traditional Indigenous name associated with Tupí-speaking peoples; its deeper internal derivation is debated.”

16th Century

Old Tupi

“Name used for the language and related peoples encountered by Portuguese colonists in Brazil.”

16th–17th Century

Portuguese

“A Portuguese designation for the Tupí language and Indigenous groups of coastal Brazil.”

19th Century

English

“An English ethnolinguistic term for the Tupí peoples and their language family.”

Modern English

English

“A term for the Tupí language family, its languages, or its Indigenous peoples.”

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