Capybaras

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sizable South American rodent that favors aquatic environments, recognized for its social interactions with other animals
2. This friendly mammal, native to wetlands, is a large rodent known for its herbivorous diet and group living
3. A large rodent species that inhabits watery regions across South America and is characterized by its amicable nature and social habits

Etymology: "Capybaras" is simply the plural of "capybara," so the story belongs to the singular. The name comes from Old Tupi, the language of indigenous peoples along the Brazilian coast, where "kapi'iûara" literally meant "grass eater." That is a fitting description of an animal that spends much of its day grazing on grasses and aquatic vegetation along riverbanks and marshes. The word then passed into European languages through colonial contact. Portuguese speakers in Brazil adapted it as "capivara," and Spanish speakers borrowed the form "capibara" from there. English took the word from Spanish, so the name the world uses today reflects a chain of borrowing from an indigenous language of South America through two European colonial tongues.

Synonyms: hydrochoerus, water hog