Piranha

Alternative forms

• piraña, pirana

Origin

First attested in 1869.

Dictionary.com

The first part of the term is from Ere pirá ("fish"). There are four theories regarding the source of second part:

• It may be from Old Tupi sanha, sainha ("tooth"), or a Guarani cognate of the same.

• It may be from Old Tupi ánha ("").
• The full term may have been pira nya, a variant of pira'ya ("scissor-fish"), in Old Tupi.

• It may be from Old Tupi anhá (""), meaning "bad" or "devil" in Tupi-Guarani.

Britton, A. Scott. Guaraní: Guaraní-English, English-Guaraní ; concise dictionary. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2005. Print.

Coming via Portuguese (as piranha) and via Spanish (as piraña).

Full definition of piranha

Noun

1. Any of the carnivorous freshwater fish living in South American rivers and belonging to the subfamily .