Sao Joao de Meriti

7.7

A city in southeast Brazil that is a residential suburb of Rio de Janeiro

proper noun

: Sao Joao de Meriti

She was born and raised in Sao Joao de Meriti, a vibrant suburb of Rio de Janeiro.

Examples

Many commuters from Sao Joao de Meriti travel daily to Rio de Janeiro for work.
Population growth in Sao Joao de Meriti has contributed to the expansion of the greater Rio metropolitan area.
I visited Sao Joao de Meriti last summer.
Have you ever been to Sao Joao de Meriti?
Many commuters from Sao Joao de Meriti travel daily to Rio de Janeiro for work.
Population growth in Sao Joao de Meriti has contributed to the expansion of the greater Rio metropolitan area.
She was born and raised in Sao Joao de Meriti, a vibrant suburb of Rio de Janeiro.

Surface Forms

Sao Joao de Meriti main

Morphology

Sao + Joao + de + Meriti

This is a Portuguese toponym composed of elements meaning 'Saint' (São), 'John' (João) and the preposition 'de' (of) plus a proper name 'Meriti', so a learner who knows those constituents would infer it is a place name ('Saint John of Meriti'). However, the specific encyclopedic sense 'a city in southeastern Brazil / a suburb of Rio de Janeiro' is not derivable from the parts alone, so the overall meaning is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Sao Joao de Meriti may come from the name Sao Joao ('Saint John') plus Meriti, the river nearby. Early settlers named the place for a church to 'Saint John' by the Meriti river, so the name means 'Saint John of Meriti' and helps you remember it is the town by that river.