Madeira

American  

[muh-deer-uh, -dair-uh, mah-de-ruh] / məˈdɪər ə, -ˈdɛər ə, mɑˈdɛ rə /

noun

1. a group of eight islands off the NW coast of Africa, part of Portugal. 308 sq. mi. (798 sq. km). Funchal.

2. the chief island of this group. 286 sq. mi. (741 sq. km).

3. (often lowercase)  a rich, strong white or amber wine, resembling sherry, made there.

4. (often lowercase)  a similar wine made elsewhere.

5. a river in W Brazil flowing NE to the Amazon: chief tributary of the Amazon. 2,100 miles (3,380 km) long.

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Madeira British  

/ məˈdɪərə, məˈðəirə /

noun

1. a group of volcanic islands in the N Atlantic, west of Morocco: since 1976 an autonomous region of Portugal; consists of the chief island, Madeira, Porto Santo, and the uninhabited Deserta and Selvagen Islands. Capital: Funchal. Pop: 245 012 (2001). Area: 797 sq km (311 sq miles)

2. a river in W Brazil, flowing northeast to the Amazon below Manaus. Length: 3241 km (2013 miles)

3. a rich strong fortified white wine made on Madeira

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Example Sentences

Local media reports say the ship was on its way back to the Canary Islands from the Portuguese island of Madeira when the incident happened.

From BBC

The U.S.-listed miner plans another site at Fazendinha, close to where the Madeira meets the Amazon River, Bloise said.

From The Wall Street Journal

It's another song about migration, written after the band were forced to relocate from Madeira to the Portuguese mainland due to the economic crisis.

From BBC

One example was a letter from a Scot who'd moved to the island of Madeira, off the north west coast of Africa.

From BBC

When a team of conservationists found a small population surviving on the rocky cliffs of Deserta Grande island, close to Madeira, they mounted a rescue effort.

From BBC