Another name for a guinea pig or small rodent from South America.
From Tupi (indigenous South American language) 'caviá', referring to the native rodent; entered English through Portuguese and Spanish colonial trade.
The word 'caviya' traveled from Amazonian indigenous languages through Portuguese traders to English, and today we call them 'guinea pigs' even though they're neither from Guinea nor pigs—a beautiful linguistic mix-up!
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