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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. 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 ² 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 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

Derived Forms

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

He returned for the quarter-final, guiding France past Italy and then Croatia, before delivering a masterclass in the final against Brazil, scoring twice - both headers from corners - to spark wild celebrations in Paris.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

When news of England’s 1-0 defeat to the U.S. during the opening round of the 1950 World Cup reached London from Brazil, stunned Brits assumed it must have been a typo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Paraguay’s schedule over the past year featured several games with World Cup qualifiers, including wins over Mexico and Uruguay, draws with Japan and Ecuador and one-score losses to Brazil, Morocco and the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

The buzz: Group C gets off to a compelling start with sixth-ranked Brazil, the tournament’s only five-time champion, facing No. 7 Morocco, the surprise team of 2022.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

The discovery of the historic document led to further research in Europe, Brazil, and Mozambique in search of facts about the São José and its ill-fated voyage.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler