Note 953 — Chapter XI
Reading edition
Possibly so called from the Portuguese botoque, a barrel plug, from the wooden plug or disc formerly worn by all the tribes both as a lip ornament and an ear-plug, distending the lobes like great leathern bat's-wings down to the shoulders. But this embellishment is called tembeitera by the Brazilians, and Botocudo may perhaps be connected with betó-apoc, the native name of the ear-plug.