Brazilian Portuguese Grammar

Etymology of Brazilian state names

State flag	State name	Etymology
	Acre	*The name refers to aquiri, a feather headdress worn by local Indians.*
	Alagoas	*The name refers to the large number of lagoas* (lakes) found in the state.**
	Amapá	*The name refers to the tree Parahancornia amapa, which is native to the region.*
	Amazonas	*Name given by an explorer who believed he saw the legendary female warriors amazonae* by the river that crosses the forest.**
	Bahia	*The name refers to the baía* (bay) discovered by the Portuguese at the beginning of the XVI century.**
	Ceará	*The name comes from the Indian word ciara, which denotes the sound produced by a parrot found in the region.*
	Espírito Santo	*Name given by the region's lord, who arrived there on Pentecost: celebration of the descent of the Espírito Santo* (Holy Spirit).**
	Goiás	*The name refers to local Indian tribe of the guaiás.*
	Maranhão	*Name explorers gave to the local river, which means it is not the sea.*
	Mato Grosso	*Name given to the woods of the region by explorers: Mato Grosso means thick woods or dense forest.*
	Mato Grosso do Sul	Created in 1977, this state is located to the sul (south) of the state of Mato Grosso.
	Minas Gerais	Name given by explorers to this vast region, rich in precious stones: Minas Gerais means public mines.
	Pará	*This Indian name refers to the Pará River, which looked like the sea* (pa'ra in Tupi).**
	Paraíba	*This Indian name means bad river.*
	Paraná	*This Indian name means river that looks like the sea.*
	Pernambuco	Indian name given to the place where two local rivers meet.
	Piauí	*This Indian name means river of the big fish.*
	Rio de Janeiro	The name Rio refers to the discovery of this inlet on the coast, which the Portuguese believed was the mouth of a river; Janeiro celebrates the month of the discovery.
	Rio Grande do Norte	*The name refers to the size of a local river: Rio Grande means big river.*
	Rio Grande do Sul	The name refers to a canal that connects Lagoa dos Patos (Patos Lagoon) with the Atlantic Ocean.
	Rondônia	Name given in honor of marshall Cândido Rondon.
	Roraima	*Indian word that means green mount.*
	Santa Catarina	Name given in honor to St. Catherine of Alexandria.
	São Paulo	The name refers to the school called Real Colégio de São Paulo de Piratininga, founded in the region by Catholic priests in the XVI century in honor to St.Paul.
	Sergipe	*This Indian name means river filled with crabs.*
	Tocantins	*The name refers to the Indian tribe of the tocantins, who inhabited the region.*

Distrito Federal

The name means federal district, which is the federation unit where Brasília, the capital of Brazil, is located.