brazil

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While the european element in both brazil, argentina, uruguay and chile is made of of basically southern europeans (portuguese, italian, spanish) Brazil is the only country of these that has a SUBSTANTIAL northern european population.

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Definitions (5)

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  1. A heavy dyewood of the genus Cæsalpinia (C. Sappan), imported from the East, now known as sappanwood (which see). Him nedeth not his colour for to dien With brasil ne with grain of Portingale. Chaucer, C.T. (ed. Tyrwhitt), l. 15464.
  2. A very heavy dywood, from Brazil and other parts of tropical America. The ture brazil-wood is from the leguminous tree Cæsalpinia echinata, but the name is also given to C. peltophoroides. Woods known as peach-wood and lima-wood are said to be from the same species. The wood has a slightly aromatic odor and a bitter-sweet taste. To extract the coloring matter, the wood is finely ground, allowed to ferment in the air, and then boiled in copper cylinders with water. The extract produces purple dyes with salts of iron, and red with salts of alumina. Lakes used by decorators are also made from it, and common red ink is prepared by adding a little alum and acid to a decoction of it. Also spelled brasil. Are my bones brazil, or my flesh of oak? O, mend what thou hast made, what I have broke. Quarles, Emblems, iii. 5.
  3. Sulphate of iron. [North. Eng.]

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Examples (50)

  • While the european element in both brazil, argentina, uruguay and chile is made of of basically southern europeans (portuguese, italian, spanish) Brazil is the only country of these that has a SUBSTANTIAL northern european population. —  Home
  • Seoul city's benchmarking - brazil's public transportation system (the center of bus) 2. hyundai, kia motor's KTF 'SHOW' benchmarking. —  Recently Uploaded Slideshows
  • Everybody in brazil is poor, the only diffrence is that the poor people their are exceptionally poor; "so you should be happy with what you have, and make what you have count". —  Home
  • In response to not reffering to people by color in brazil, I'm not sure what part you are from, but having lived both in Bahia and Rio for many years I can say people definentaly use the color of skin to classify people. —  Home
  • Yes there is racism in brazil, but no it is not the same as in the US. —  Home
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Etymologies (1)

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  1. Early modern English also brasil (with accent on the first syllable; cf. brassil, brissel-cock), from Middle English brasil, brasyle = Old Danish brasilie, Danish brasilie(-trœ) = Norwegian bresel, brisel, from Old French bresil, modern F. brésil = Provencal bresil, brezilh = Spanish OPg. brasil (later modern Italian brasile; Middle Latin brasilium, braxile, bresillum, brisillum, brisiacum), orig. a red dyewood brought from the East. Origin uncertain; perhaps, as Diez suggests, from Provencal brezilhar (= French brésiller), break into fragments, crumble, from briza, a fragment, little bit (= French bris, a breaking open, a wreck, formerly fragments, rubbish: see briss, n., breeze), from brizar = French briser, break: see bruise and debris. The name would refer to the form in which the dyewood was imported. Now usually in comp. brazil-wood, with direct reference to the country Brazil. The country, named Santa Cruz by its (second) discoverer, Pedro Alvarez Cabral (1500), afterward received the name Brazil, it is said, from King Emmanuel of Portugal, on account of its producing red dyewood. The name had been long before applied to a supposed island in the Atlantic, perhaps by association with Pliny's Insulæ Purpurariæ (literally Purple Islands), sometimes supposed to refer to Madeira and Porto Santo.
 

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