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• brazil
  brazil

  noun

  brazilwood.
• Brazil
  Brazil

  noun

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

brazil

¹ American  

[bruh-zil] / brəˈzɪl /

noun

1. brazilwood.

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Brazil ² American  

[bruh-zil] / brəˈzɪl /

noun

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

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Brazil ¹ British  

/ 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)

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brazil ² British  

/ 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

3. short for brazil nut

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Brazil Cultural  

1. 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.

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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

• Brazilian
  adjective
• anti-Brazilian
  adjective
• pro-Brazilian
  adjective
• pseudo-Brazilian
  adjective

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

In Brazil, authorities alleged last year that some Chinese workers hired to build BYD’s factory worked seven days a week and slept on beds without mattresses.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

All eyes are now on July's crop in Brazil.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

In Brazil, it’s illegal to possess a wild animal without authorization from the government.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

The company, which has stores in Mexico and Brazil along with the U.S., reported 1.6% same-store sales growth on a constant-currency basis in international markets.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Over most of the South American landmass, the prevailing winds come from the east, across Brazil.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann