morubixaba

English

Noun

morubixaba (plural morubixabas)

1. A chief of the Tupi people.

Old Tupi

Alternative forms

• mborubixaba

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani [Term?]. By surface analysis, moro- (“people”) +‎ ubixaba (“leader”).

Cognate with Mbya Guarani mboruvixa and Paraguayan Guarani mburuvicha.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mo.ɾu.β̞iˈʃa.β̞a]
• Rhymes: -aβa

Noun

morubixaba (possessable)

1. chieftain (leader of a clan or tribe)
2. mister; sir (title of adult male)
   • 1614, Claude d'Abbeville, chapter LII, in Hiſtoire de la Miſsion des Peres Capucins en L'Iſle de Maragnan et terres circonuoiſines [History of the Mission of the Capuchin Fathers in the Island of Maranhão and surrounding lands] (overall work in French), Paris: Imprimerie de François Huby, page 327v:

     Bourouuichaue de akan omano?

     [Morubixaba, nde akanga omanõ?]

     Sir, does your head hurt?

3. (Late Tupi) monarch (ruler of an absolute monarchy)

   Synonyms: reîa, ubixaba

4. (Late Tupi) judge (public judicial official)
5. (Late Tupi) superior (person of higher rank)

Descendants

• Nheengatu: muruixawa
• → Brazilian Portuguese: morubixaba

References

• Navarro, Eduardo de Almeida (2013), “morubixaba”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: The Classical Indigenous Language of Brazil ] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 313, column 2

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Tupi morubixaba.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /mo.ɾu.biˈʃa.bɐ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mu.ɾu.biˈʃa.bɐ/ [mu.ɾu.βiˈʃa.βɐ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mu.ɾu.biˈʃa.bɐ/ [mu.ɾu.βiˈʃa.βɐ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /mu.ɾu.biˈʃa.bɐ/

• Rhymes: -abɐ
• Hyphenation: mo‧ru‧bi‧xa‧ba

Noun

morubixaba m (plural morubixabas)

1. morubixaba
2. (Brazil, informal) boss; bigwig; head honcho (head of an organization, the person in charge)

Further reading

• “morubixaba”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “morubixaba”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “morubixaba”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “morubixaba”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026