piranha

• piraña, pirana
• piraya (obsolete)

First attested in 1869.^[1] The term entered English either via Portuguese piranha or Spanish piraña, from Old Tupi pirãîa.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɪˈɹɑːn(j)ə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɪˈɹɑn(j)ə/, /pɪˈɹæn(j)ə/

piranha (plural piranhas or piranha)

1. (ichthyology) Any of certain freshwater fish of the subfamily Serrasalminae, native to South America; they are characterised by razor-sharp teeth and a reputation of being ferocious predators (despite most species being omnivorous).

   Coordinate terms: pacu, silver dollar

• Fish of the genus Metynnis are usually not called piranhas, despite being on the same subfamily.

• ⇒ Translingual: †Megapiranha

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

• Hyphenation: pi‧ran‧ha

piranha

1. a piranha

Borrowed from Portuguese piranha.

• IPA^(key): /piˈrɑn.jaː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pi‧ran‧ha
• Rhymes: -ɑnjaː

piranha c (plural piranha's, diminutive piranhaatje n)

1. piranha

• IPA^(key): /pi.ʁa.na/, /pi.ʁa.ɲa/

• Audio:

  (file)

piranha m (plural piranhas)

1. piranha

• “piranha”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

piranha m (plural piranhas, reintegrationist norm)

1. reintegrationist spelling of piraña

• “piranha” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).

From Old Tupi.

• IPA^(key): /piˈraɲ.ɲa/
• Rhymes: -aɲɲa

piranha m (invariable)

1. piranha

From Portuguese piranha, from Old Tupi pirãîa

• IPA^(key): /piˈra.ɲɐ/

piranha f (plural piranhas)

1. piranha (fish of the subfamily Serrasalminae)

piranha

1. alternative form of pirãîa

Borrowed from Old Tupi pirãîa, from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pirãj, from *pira + *tãj.

Cognate with Nheengatu piranha.

• Rhymes: -ɐɲɐ
• Hyphenation: pi‧ra‧nha

piranha f (plural piranhas)

2. piranha
3. (derogatory, vulgar, Brazil) slut, whore

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vadia

   • 1979, Carlos Heitor Cony, 59:57 from the start, in Anselmo Duarte, director, Os Trombadinhas, Rio de Janeiro: Embrafilme; Ipanema Filmes:

     Arlete (Ana Maria Nascimento e Silva): Você... Você é o Pelé?
     Edson Arantes do Nascimento: Não. Eu sou o Jô Soares, sua piranha!

     Arlete (Ana Maria Nascimento e Silva): Are you... Are you Pelé?
     Edson Arantes do Nascimento: No. I'm Jô Soares, you bitch!

5. (Brazil) claw clip

   Synonym: piranha de cabelo

• → Dutch: piranha
• → English: piranha

• “piranha”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025

Borrowed from French piranha.

piranha m (plural piranha)

1. piranha