Tupi

or Tu·pí

[ too-pee, too-pee ]

noun

, plural Tu·pis, (especially collectively) Tu·pi

1. a member of any of several related Indian peoples living in the valleys of various Brazilian rivers, especially the Amazon.
2. the language that was spoken in northern Brazil by the Tupi Indians, now extinct but formerly used as a lingua franca in Brazil during the 16th to 19th centuries.

Tupi

/ tuːˈpiː /

noun

1. -pis-pi a member of a South American Indian people of Brazil and Paraguay
2. the language of this people, belonging to the Tupi-Guarani family

Derived Forms

• Tuˈpian, adjective

Other Words From

• Tu·pi·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tupi¹

First recorded in 1845–50