cobaya

Spanish

Dos cobayas.

Etymology

Likely from Old Tupi çabuia, sabuia with loss of the initial cedilla. Compare Portuguese cobaia.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay) /koˈbaʝa/ [koˈβ̞a.ʝa]
IPA^(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /koˈbaʃa/ [koˈβ̞a.ʃa]
IPA^(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /koˈbaʒa/ [koˈβ̞a.ʒa]

Rhymes: -aʝa
Syllabification: co‧ba‧ya

Noun

cobaya f or m (plural cobayas)

(zoology) guinea pig (animal)
Synonyms: cobayo, conejillo de Indias, curí, cuy
(cooking) guinea pig meat, eaten in many parts of Latin America
(figuratively) guinea pig (person used for experimentation)

Further reading

“cobaya”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

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