-açu

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• -guaçu, -uaçu, -uçu
• -assú (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Tupi -gûasu.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /aˈsu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐˈsu/

• Rhymes: -u
• Hyphenation: -a‧çu

Suffix

-açu m or f (noun-forming suffix, plural -açus)

1. (no longer productive) forms the augmentative of nouns

Usage notes

Despite most words suffixed with -açu being direct borrowings from Old Tupi, there's a number of them that got suffixed later and have no related term in that language, like minhocuçu.

Derived terms

Portuguese terms suffixed with -açu

Further reading

• “-açu” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “açu” in Dicionário Online de Português.
• “açu” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.
• “açu” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.