brazil
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
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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
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the red or purple dye extracted from any of these woods See also brazilin
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short for brazil nut
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The only country in South America whose history was dominated by Portugal; it is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world.
The largest of the Latin-American countries, Brazil occupies almost half of South America.
It is the world's leading coffee exporter.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of brazil
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Saquon Barkley made a dream debut for the Philadelphia Eagles as they beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFL's first ever trip to brazil.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2024
Before manufacturers could produce them artificially, reds came from minerals, bugs, plants: madder root, kermes, cochineal, brazil wood, cinnabar.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2019
Put the brazil nuts into another freezer bag and also bash them, so you end up with different-sized nut rubble.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 13, 2018
Teaching girls self defense classes might be wise, not just in brazil.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2017
Biscuits 8 ozs. white flour, 2 ozs. ground rice, 3 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. grated brazil kernels.
From No Animal Food and Nutrition and Diet with Vegetable Recipes by Wheldon, Rupert H.
From Mexico to northern Brazil, stretching from the Pacific coast to the Guiana Highlands, approximately 110 million people experienced their hottest July on record.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Its diet likely included smaller animals, suggesting that it played the role of a small predator in the Triassic ecosystems of southern Brazil.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
And in 2018, one wing of the Nation Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro burned down with the loss of many fossil specimens that were on display.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Even before Washington entered the picture, Brazil was already set for one of its most tense elections in decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
From 1936 to 1939, he spied for the Nazis in Brazil and Argentina.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.