English
brazil
see also: Brazil
Noun

brazil (plural brazils)

  1. (obsolete) A red-orange dye obtained from brazil wood. [14th–17th c.]
    • 1627, Francis Bacon, Sylva sylvarum:
      A small Quantity of Saffron will Tinct more then a very great Quantity of Brasil.
  2. The hard, brown wood of a tree of the tribe Caesalpinieae; originally the sappan, Biancaea sappan, of the East Indies, and later the brazilwood, Paubrasilia echinata. [from 15th c.]
    • 1594, Thomas Blundeville, Exercises:
      The Prouince Brasilia tooke his name of the woode called Brasill.
    • 2002, Victoria Finlay, Colour, Sceptre 2003, p. 198:
      [P]ernambucco – the finest brasil from Brazil, so strong it almost resembles iron – became the favoured material for good bows.
  3. A Brazil nut.
    I picked up a handful of brazils from the bowl.
  4. A seam of coal containing iron pyrites
Brazil
Pronunciation
  • (British, America) IPA: /bɹə.ˈzɪl/, [-ˈzɪɫ]
Proper noun
  1. A large Portuguese-speaking country in South America official=Federative Republic of Brazil.
  2. A city/county seat in Clay County, Indiana.
Translations

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