selva
Americannoun
noun
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dense equatorial forest, esp in the Amazon basin, characterized by tall broad-leaved evergreen trees, epiphytes, lianas, etc
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a tract of such forest
Etymology
Origin of selva
First recorded in 1840–50; from Brazilian Portuguese, Portuguese: literally “forest,” from Latin silva; silva ( def. )
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.
The organizers appeared to turn the word “selva,” or jungle, into “Selma” by replacing the letter V with the letter M. The word selva is directly linked to the armed forces and its veterans.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2023
Y lo que es más importante, hay más de 500 pueblos indígenas distintos en la selva amazónica.
From Scientific American • Nov. 12, 2022
El río Amazonas alimenta una selva tropical de 7,4 millones de km2, casi el equivalente al área terrestre de los EE.UU. contiguos.
From Scientific American • Nov. 12, 2022
Las injusticias sufridas por los trabajadores de una granja ubicada en la selva chiapaneca, en 1910.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2019
There are those who profess to have journeyed 368 through vast stretches of South American selva without encountering a wild animal.
From Carmen Ariza by Stocking, Charles Francis
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.
