brazil

[ bruh-zil ]

Origin of brazil

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English brasile, from Medieval Latin, from Italian, from Spanish brasil, derivative of brasa “live coal” (the wood being red in color), from Germanic; see braise

Words Nearby brazil

Other definitions for Brazil (2 of 2)

Brazil
[ bruh-zil ]

noun
  1. a republic in South America. 3,286,170 sq. mi. (8,511,180 sq. km). Capital: Brasília.

  • Portuguese and Spanish Bra·sil [Portuguese bra-zeel; Spanish brah-seel] /Portuguese braˈzil; Spanish brɑˈsil/ .
  • Official name Fed·er·a·tive Re·pub·lic of Bra·zil [fed-uh-rey-tiv ri-puhb-likuhv bruh-zil, fed-er-uh-tiv] /ˈfɛd əˌreɪ tɪv rɪˈpʌb lɪk əv brəˈzɪl, ˈfɛd ər ə tɪv/ .
  • Former official name U·nit·ed States of Bra·zil [yoo-nahy-tid steytsuhv bruh-zil] /yuˈnaɪ tɪd ˈsteɪts əv brəˈzɪl/ .

Other words from Brazil

  • an·ti-Bra·zil·ian, adjective, noun
  • Bra·zil·ian [bruh-zil-yuhn], /brəˈzɪl yən/, adjective, noun
  • pro-Bra·zil·ian, adjective, noun
  • pseu·do-Bra·zil·ian, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use brazil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brazil (1 of 2)

brazil

brasil

/ (brəˈzɪl) /


noun
  1. Also called: brazil wood the red wood obtained from various tropical leguminous trees of the genus Caesalpinia, such as C. echinata of America: used for cabinetwork

  2. the red or purple dye extracted from any of these woods: See also brazilin

  1. short for brazil nut

Origin of brazil

1
C14: from Old Spanish brasil, from brasa glowing coals, of Germanic origin; referring to the redness of the wood; see braise

British Dictionary definitions for Brazil (2 of 2)

Brazil

/ (brəˈzɪl) /


noun
  1. a republic in South America, comprising about half the area and half the population of South America: colonized by the Portuguese from 1500 onwards; became independent in 1822 and a republic in 1889; consists chiefly of the tropical Amazon basin in the north, semiarid scrub in the northeast, and a vast central tableland; an important producer of coffee and minerals, esp iron ore. Official language: Portuguese. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: real. Capital: Brasília. Pop: 201 009 622 (2013 est). Area: 8 511 957 sq km (3 286 470 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Brazil

Brazil

Republic in eastern South America. It borders on every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Its capital is Brasilia, and its largest city is São Paulo.

Notes for Brazil

The largest of the Latin-American countries, Brazil occupies almost half of South America.

Notes for Brazil

It is the world's leading coffee exporter.

Notes for Brazil

The only country in South America whose history was dominated by Portugal; it is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.