Word origins

• aiA pale-throated sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), endemic to forests of southern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil.
• sambaA Brazilian ballroom dance or dance style.
• capoeiraA martial art developed in Brazil, involving complex acrobatic maneuvers and flowing movements.
• baileA specific genre of dance music originating in Rio de Janeiro, also known as Funk Carioca
• ingaAny of the genus Inga of small tropical trees and shrubs.
• RecifeA municipality, the state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil.
• IpanemaA neighborhood of Zona Sul district, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• FortalezaA municipality, the state capital of Ceará, Brazil.
• CampinasA municipality of São Paulo, Brazil.
• guaranaA tree, Paullinia cupana, native to Venezuela and northern Brazil.
• acaiAny of several South American palms, of the genus Euterpe, having a dark purple drupe.
• bundaAss, butt.
• cariocaA sideways step in which one leg crosses over the other.
• pantanalA marsh (a broad, flat area with pools of water and trees) in the Pantanal region of South America.
• favelaA slum or shantytown, especially in Brazil.
• matamataA side-necked turtle of species Chelus fimbriata, whose shell resembles a dead leaf.
• SaciA young, black, one-legged prankster in Brazilian folklore, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red hat that enables him to disappear.
• jacanaAny of a group of wading birds in the family Jacanidae, usually having long toes and claws, and found throughout the world.
• SAMPAAn alphabet based on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), but using only 7-bit ASCII characters, to work around text encoding problems before the introduction of Unicode.
• caipirinhaA traditional Brazilian alcoholic drink prepared with cachaça, lime juice, sugar, and ice.
• acaraAny of a number of Central American and South American freshwater fish in the family Cichlidae.
• saimiriany member of Saimiri, a taxonomic genus of South American arboreal monkeys, a squirrel monkey
• SergipeA state of the Northeast Region, Brazil. Capital: Aracaju.
• maracaA Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a hollow-gourd rattle containing pebbles or beans and often played in pairs, as a rhythm instrument.
• GuanabaraA bay of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• berimbauA percussion instrument, consisting of a gourd (as resonator) and a single wire stretched along a pole, used in Brazil, has a pivotal role in capoeira ensembles.
• guaraA maned wolf, of species Chrysocyon brachyurus (syn. Canis jubatus), native to much of subtropical central South America, east of the Andes.
• EmbuA town in Kenya.
• PetropolisA municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; former state capital.
• AracajuA municipality, the state capital of Sergipe, Brazil.
• abacaxiA large Brazilian pineapple.
• abiuA South American tropical fruit tree, Pouteria caimito.
• acapugenus Andira.
• acauãSynonym of laughing falcon.
• Aparecida de GoiâniaA city and municipality of Goiás, Brazil.
• AraguaiaA major river in Goiás, Mato Grosso, Tocantins and Pará, Brazil
• araracangaSynonym of scarlet macaw.
• ariáGuinea arrowroot: the plant Goeppertia allouia, grown for its edible tubers.
• aroeiraThe California pepper tree (actually native to South America, not California) (Schinus molle).
• assacuSynonym of sandbox tree.
• babassuA tall Brazilian feather palm, Attalea speciosa, having hard-shelled nuts that yield an edible oil.
• Balneário CamboriúA municipality of Santa Catarina, Brazil
• barbatimaoA South American mimosa tree, Stryphnodendron adstringens (formerly Stryphnodendron barbatimao), which has an astringent, tannin-rich bark.
• barbeiroSynonym of kissing bug
• bossa novaA lively Brazilian dance that is similar to the samba.
• Brasileirãothe Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (the highest division of professional football in Brazil)
• buritiThe moriche palm.
• caatingaA sparse, thorny wooded biome of northeastern Brazil containing drought-resistant trees.
• cabocloA person of mixed Brazilian Indian and European or African descent.
• candiruA small parasitic catfish, Vandellia cirrhosa, native to the Amazon river, rumored to swim up male urethras.
• CandombléA religion, practiced mostly in Brazil, that blends African and Roman Catholic elements.
• capangaA thug or bodyguard in Brazil.
• caraguatáAny of several similar South American bromeliad plants, Bromelia serra, Bromelia pinguin or Bromelia balansae (syn. Bromelia argentina), which yield a long, silky fiber used for making cords, sacks, etc.
• CatanduvasA town and municipality of Paraná, Brazil.
• cauimAn alcoholic beverage of Tupian origin, made by the fermentation of manioc, cashews, or maize.
• CearáA state of the Northeast Region, Brazil. Capital: Fortaleza.
• chanchadaA style of popular Brazilian film, often including satires of Hollywood movies.
• Christ the RedeemerA statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• CisplatinaThe former Cisplatina Province or Cisplatine Province (Província Cisplatina), a province on this side of the River Plate (from the Brazilian perspective); it existed in the 1820s and was a focus of the Cisplatine War but then became part of what is now Uruguay.
• CuiabáA municipality, the state capital of Mato Grosso, Brazil.
• Embu das ArtesA municipality of São Paulo, Brazil
• favelizationIn Brazil, the process of an area or neighborhood becoming a favela.
• FlorianópolisA municipality, the state capital of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
• footvolleyA sport, similar to beach volleyball, in which the feet and other body parts are used instead of the hands and arms.
• genipapThe North and South American tree Genipa americana of the family Rubiaceae.
• GoiâniaA municipality, the state capital of Goiás, Brazil.
• guaribaAny of several South American howler monkeys with prehensile tails.
• guatambuThe flowering tree Balfourodendron riedelianum.
• igarapéA watercourse in the Amazon rainforest.
• imbéA South American liana, Philodendron imbe.
• inajáThe South American palm tree Attalea maripa (syn. Maximiliana maripa, formerly also Maximiliana regia).
• ipecacuanhaThe root of Carapichea ipecacuanha, used as an emetic or purgative; a preparation of this root used as a drug; ipecac.
• jaboticabaThe evergreen Brazilian grape tree, Myrciaria cauliflora, a fruit-bearing tree native to Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
• jabutiA Brazilian tortoise, especially a yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus).
• jacutingaA black-fronted piping guan (Pipile jacutinga).
• João PessoaA municipality, the state capital of Paraíba, Brazil.
• Juazeiro do NorteA municipality of Ceará, Brazil.
• LAN houseA kind of telecentre or cybercafé in Brazil.
• MacapáA municipality, the state capital of Amapá, Brazil.
• malocaA traditional longhouse used by the natives of the Amazon, notably in Colombia and Brazil.
• mamelucoA child born of one white parent and one Brazilian Indian parent.
• mandacaruA cactus, Cereus jamacaru, native to central and eastern Brazil.
• mangabaThe round, edible fruit of the tree Hancornia speciosa, native to parts of South America.
• maracatuA Brazilian performance genre from Pernambuco involving parades and music.
• maracujaA passion fruit.
• MaréA neighborhood and favela in Zona Norte district, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• massarandubaA tropical hardwood tree, Manilkara bidentata, native to South America which produces edible fruit.
• Mato Grosso do SulA state of the Center-West Region, Brazil. Capital: Campo Grande.
• maxixeA Brazilian dance in a rapid 2/4 time, influenced by the tango and polka.
• minuanoA powerful cold wind in southern Brazil that comes from south
• moquecaA Brazilian stew from the state of Bahia, based on fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro.
• oiticicaThe tree Licania rigida, endemic to Brazil and Puerto Rico.
• Old TupiAn extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the native Tupi people of Brazil.
• OsascoA municipality of São Paulo, Brazil.
• ouricuriA species of palm tree, Syagrus coronata, endemic to eastern Brazil.
• PacaraimaA municipality in the northwest of the state of Roraima, Brazil.
• pamonhaA traditional Brazilian food, a dumpling made from sweetcorn and milk boiled wrapped in the husk, sometimes with a sweet or savoury filling; associated with festa junina winter celebrations.
• ParnaíbaA city in Piauí, Brazil.
• pequiAny of various trees of the genus Caryocar, a souari.
• PiauíA state of the Northeast Region, Brazil. Capital: Teresina.