Pororoca

Source: Tess, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Twice a year, on the equinoxes, the tide comes up the Amazon river on waves big enough to surf (as high as 15 feet, moving at 30 to 35 miles an hour against the Amazon’s current). This is called the Pororoca, the Brazilian name for a tidal bore. Even though we have a word for this in English, sometimes it’s best to just leave the word as is when describing a local phenomenon. But since this is a translation blog, I’ll add that pororoca (sometimes mupororoca) comes from a Tupi word meaning “boom.” The waves may be fun to look at and surf, but they can be quite destructive and definitely make a booming noise that can be heard several minutes before the wave arrives.