A large, aggressive freshwater fish from South America, known for its sharp teeth and predatory behavior; a piranha-like fish.
From Tupi (Native South American language) 'becuna,' the indigenous name for this predatory fish. Entered English through naturalists and explorers describing Amazonian wildlife.
Becuna is another word borrowed straight from Tupi, along with 'piranha' and 'anaconda,' because South American indigenous peoples had perfect names for the dangerous creatures of the Amazon, and European scientists realized inventing Latin names wouldn't be as useful as just using the words that locals already had.
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