brazil Hear it!

brazil definition

bra·zil (brə zil′)

noun

  1. brazilwood
  2. a red or blue dye from this wood

Etymology: ME brasile < Sp & Port brasil; prob. ult. (because of color) < Gmc *brasa: see braise

Brazil definition

Bra·zil (brə zil′)

country in central & NE South America, on the Atlantic: declared independence from Portugal (1822): 3,286,485 sq mi (8,511,963 sq km); pop. 146,155,000; cap. Brasília

Etymology: Port, short for terra de brasil, land of brazilwood: see brazil

Related Forms:

  • Brazilian Bra·zil′·ian (-yən) adjective, noun

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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