açaí
/a.saˈi/
noun
Origin
Old Tupi
ïwasa'i — fruit that cries or weeps
Overview
Meaning Now
- A small, dark purple drupe produced by the Euterpe oleracea palm, widely harvested in the Amazon region for its nutritional properties.
- The palm tree (Euterpe oleracea) that produces these berries.
Literal older meaning
crying fruit; fruit that weeps
Language path
Old Tupi → Portuguese → English
Earliest form
assai
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The name 'açaí' derives from a Tupi legend about an indigenous chief whose tribe was suffering from starvation; he ordered the killing of all infants, including his own granddaughter, whose death led to the discovery of a palm tree laden with fruit that saved the tribe, hence the 'fruit that cries'.
Evolution
- Old Tupi
ïwasa'i
“fruit that cries”
A compound of 'ïw' (fruit) and 'asa'i' (to cry).
- Colonial Portuguese
assai
“The berry of the Euterpe oleracea”
Adaptation of Tupi phonology into Portuguese orthography.
- Modern Portuguese
açaí
“The berry and the palm”
Standardized spelling using the cedilla to represent the /s/ sound.
- Modern English
açaí
“The superfood berry”
Borrowed as a loanword from Brazilian Portuguese.
Connections
Word parts
ïw
root
fruit
asa'i
root
to cry / weeping
Related across languages
Portuguese (Brazil)
the fruit of the Euterpe palm
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Related to açaí
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.