guaxinim

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Tupi gûasunĩ.

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ɡwa.ʃiˈnĩ/

  • Rhymes: -ĩ
  • Hyphenation: gua‧xi‧nim

Noun

guaxinim m (plural guaxinins)

  1. raccoon (Procyon lotor)
    Synonyms: guaxinim-norte-americano, rato-lavadeiro
  2. (loosely) raccoon (any mammal of the genus Procyon)

Usage notes

The gender of this Portuguese zoonym is always masculine: when the gender of the being itself must be specified, use “guaxinim-macho” for male, and “guaxinim-fêmea” for female. Here, fêmea is treated as an undeclinable noun and doesn't necessarily need to agree in gender with the referent, but would change to fêmeo if so.

  • Despite coming from Old Tupi, this word is used almost exclusively for the North American raccoon, while the native crab-eating raccoon is more commonly called mão-pelada.

Derived terms

  • cão-guaxinim
  • guaxinim-norte-americano
  • guaxinim-pigmeu
  • guaxinim-sul-americano

References

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