Sitting here at my work desk studying a map of the world on the wall (as is my wont).

Am now wondering what, if anything, the 'guay' suffix refers to in the names Paraguay and Uruguay.

What do those countries' names translate to in English?

Is there a contextual similarity to the 'ia' in anglicised place names (eg Australia, Oceania, Westphalia etc)?

stales

Can't help with "guay," but if your curiosity is aroused by "guad" (as in Guadalcanal, Guadalquivir, Guadalajara), I think I can enlighten. My recollection is that this goes back to the Moorish influence on Spain, and "guad" is the Arabic word for "river."

what, if anything, the 'guay' suffix refers to in the names Paraguay and Uruguay. What do those countries' names translate to in English?

Gazetteer says: Paraguay is named after the Paraguay River. Paraguay means either "tail of the sea," "garlanded river," or "river which gives birth to the sea."

Uruguay is named after the Uruguay River

You're forgetting that newly Iberianised country, Chadguay. It changed its name so it could join Bush's "Axis of Dumb Countries Whose Names End in -guay".

My guess, totally SWA, would be that Spanish ain' got nothin to do with it. Es probablemente una palabra india. I could look it up in mi diccionario guaraní-español and see is it there.

Guay in Spanish means: (interjection) ¡Ay!
Güey in gutter Spanish means: dumb f**k

They are both pronounced simular to "way".
SOThis is where the tongue goes guay in the cheek
Paraguay means: A pair of dumb f**ks and Uraguay means: You're a dumb f**k.

Güey in gutter Spanish means: dumb f**k

Hence the comment that I never understood from the movie El Mariachi, which unleashed Antonio Banderas on an unsuspecting world:

¡En botell', güey!

when the bartender gave him a draft after he asked for 'na cerveza.

Aha! And so we come to Bushguay!

I'm betting guay means "river" in Tupi-Guarani.

in Tupi-Guarani

YCLIUIYCFYGPD

YCLIUIYCFYGPD

And she did, so we did. Uruguai and Paraguai are both listed in the Guaraní section, but just what they mean is a little unclear. Uruguai seems to mean River of the Snails and Urugua means snail. Paraguai is given as the name of the country but paragua is translated as crown or wreath; Guirnalda (whatever that means); a plant; or name of birds.

Dear JH: your Spanish rivers beginning with "guad-" pronounced "wad- " reminded me of Arabic "wadi"
wadi
n.,
pl. 3dis or 3dies 5Ar wadj, channel of a river, a river, ravine, valley6 in Arabia, N Africa, etc., a) a valley, ravine, or watercourse that is dry except during the rainy season b) the stream or rush of water that flows through it Also sp. wa$dy, pl. 3dies

Still gazing at the map.

Have now noted that 'Para', like Amazonas, Acre, Mato Grosso, Bahia, Goias and Minas Gerais among others are all states/regions of Brazil. Para is due north of Paraguay, separated by Matto Grosso.

What are the cartographers trying to tell me?

stales