brazil
[ bruh-zil ]
/ brəˈzɪl /
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noun
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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
Words nearby brazil
Definition for brazil (2 of 2)
Brazil
[ bruh-zil ]
/ brəˈzɪl /
noun
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 . Former official name U·nit·ed States of Bra·zil .
OTHER WORDS FROM Brazil
Bra·zil·ian [bruh-zil-yuhn], /brəˈzɪl yən/, adjective, nounpro-Bra·zil·ian, adjective, nounpseu·do-Bra·zil·ian, adjective, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for brazil
British Dictionary definitions for brazil (1 of 2)
brazil
brasil
/ (brəˈzɪl) /
noun
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
the red or purple dye extracted from any of these woodsSee also brazilin
short for brazil nut
Word Origin for brazil
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
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.