piranha

See also: Piranha

English

Alternative forms

• piraña, pirana

Etymology

First attested in 1869. The first part of the term is from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Tupi pirá (“fish”). There are several theories regarding the source of second part, including:

• It may be from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Tupi sanha, sainha (“tooth”), or a (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Guaraní cognate of the same.
• It may be from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Tupi ánha, anhá (“cut”) (which also meant "bad" or "devil" in Tupi-Guarani).
• The full term may have been pira nya, a variant of pira'ya (“scissor-fish”), in (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Tupi.

The term entered English via (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Portuguese (as piranha) and (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Spanish (as piraña).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɪˈɹɑːnjə/, /pɪˈɹɑːnə/
• IPA^(key): /pɪˈɹɑnjə/, /pɪˈɹænjə/, /pɪˈɹɑnə/, /pɪˈɹænə/

Noun

piranha (plural piranhas or piranha)

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

Translations

South American fish

• Arabic: بِيرَانَا f (bīrānā)
• Assamese: পিৰানা (pirana)
• Belarusian: піра́ння f (piránnja)
• Bulgarian: пира́ня f (piránja)
• Catalan: piranya (ca) f
• Chamicuro: kas̈hajpa
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 食人鯧／食人鲳 (shírénchāng), 食人鲳 (shírénchāng), 水虎魚／水虎鱼 (zh) (shuǐhǔyú), 水虎鱼 (zh) (shuǐhǔyú), 比拉魚／比拉鱼 (bǐlāyú), 比拉鱼 (bǐlāyú)

• Czech: piraňa (cs) f
• Danish: piratfisk c
• Dutch: piranha (nl)
• Faroese: piranja
• Finnish: piraija (fi)
• French: piranha (fr) m
• German: Piranha m
• Greek: πιράνχας (el) (piránchas)
• Hebrew: פיראניה f (pirana)
• Hindi: पिरान्हा (pirānhā)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: pirája, piranha (hu)
• Italian: piranha m
• Japanese: ピラニア (ja) (pirania)
• Korean: 피라냐 (ko) (piranya)
• Malayalam: പിരാന (pirāna)
• Norwegian: piraya

  Bokmål: piraja m

  Nynorsk: piraja m

• Persian: پیرانا (pirânâ)
• Polish: pirania (pl) f
• Portuguese: piranha (pt) f
• Romanian: pirania f
• Russian: пира́нья (ru) f (piránʹja)
• Slovak: piraňa f
• Spanish: piraña (es) f
• Swedish: piraya (sv)
• Thai: ปลาปิรันยา (bplaa bpì-ran-yaa)
• Turkish: pirana (tr)
• Ukrainian: піра́нья f (piránʹja)
• Vietnamese: cá răng đao, cá piranha

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Cebuano

Etymology

From English piranha, from Old Tupi pirãia (“fish”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pi‧ran‧ha

Noun

piranha

1. a piranha

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Italian

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Tupi.

Noun

piranha m (uncountable)

1. piranha

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Portuguese

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Tupi pirãia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpi.ˈɾɐ̃.ɲa/

Noun

piranha f (plural piranhas)

1. piranha
2. (derogatory, vulgar, Brazil) slut