Amazon

Am·a·zon  (m-zn, -zn)

n.

1. Greek Mythology A member of a nation of women warriors reputed to have lived in Scythia.

2. often amazon A tall, aggressive, strong-willed woman.

3. A small green parrot of the genus Amazona, having a short tail and red-and-blue wings, native to Central and South America.

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[Middle English, from Latin Amzn, from Greek Amazn, probably of Iranian origin.]

Word History: In classical legend the Amazons were a tribe of warrior women. Their name is supposedly derived from Greek a-mazos, "without a breast," because according to the legend they cut off their right breasts so as to be better able to shoot with a bow and arrow. This folk etymology, like most folk etymologies, is incorrect, but the Amazons of legend are not so completely different from the historical Amazons, who were also warriors. The historical Amazons were Scythians, an Iranian people renowned for their cavalry. The first Greeks to come into contact with the Iranians were the Ionians, who lived on the coast of Asia Minor and were constantly threatened by the Persians, the most important of the Iranian peoples. Amazn is the Ionian Greek form of the Iranian word ha-mazan, "fighting together." The regular Greek form would be hamazn, but because the Ionians dropped their aitches like Cockneys, hamazn became amazn, the form taken into the other Greek dialects.

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amazon [ˈæməz^ən]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various tropical American parrots of the genus Amazona, such as A. farinosa (green amazon), having a short tail and mainly green plumage

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Amazon¹

n

1. (Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth one of a race of women warriors of Scythia near the Black Sea

2. (Myth & Legend / Non-European Myth & Legend) one of a legendary tribe of female warriors of South America

3. (often not capital) any tall, strong, or aggressive woman

[via Latin from Greek Amazōn, of uncertain origin]

Amazonian  [ˌæməˈzəʊnɪən] adj

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Amazon²

n

(Placename) a river in South America, rising in the Peruvian Andes and flowing east through N Brazil to the Atlantic: in volume, the largest river in the world; navigable for 3700 km (2300 miles). Length: over 6440 km (4000 miles). Area of basin: over 5 827 500 sq. km (2 250 000 sq. miles)

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	amazon - a large strong and aggressive woman virago adult female, woman - an adult female person (as opposed to a man); "the woman kept house while the man hunted"
	2.	Amazon - (Greek mythology) one of a nation of women warriors of Scythia (who burned off the right breast in order to use a bow and arrow more effectively) Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks mythical being - an imaginary being of myth or fable
	3.	Amazon - a major South American river; arises in the Andes and flows eastward into the South Atlantic; the world's 2nd longest river (4000 miles) Amazon River Brasil, Brazil, Federative Republic of Brazil - the largest Latin American country and the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world; located in the central and northeastern part of South America; world's leading coffee exporter Peru, Republic of Peru - a republic in western South America; achieved independence from Spain in 1821; was the heart of the Inca empire from the 12th to 16th centuries
	4.	amazon - mainly green tropical American parrots parrot - usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds Amazona, genus Amazona - a genus of Psittacidae

Translations

Amazon [ˈæməzən]

A. N

1. (Geog) → Amazonas m

2. (Myth) → amazona f (fig) (also amazon) → amazona f (US) (pej) → marimacho m

B. CPD Amazon basin N → cuenca f del Amazonas
Amazon jungle N → selva f de Amazonas

Amazon [ˈæməz^ən]

n

(= river) → Amazone m

(= woman) (in mythology) → Amazone f

modif (= Amazonian) [tribe, Indian, rainforest] → amazonien(ne), de l'Amazonie
the Amazon region → l'Amazonie
the Amazon jungle → la forêt amazonienne Amazon basin
Amazon basin n
the Amazon basin → le bassin de l'Amazone

Amazon

n → Amazonas m; (Myth, fig) → Amazone f

Amazon [ˈæməz/ən]

1. n

a. the Amazon (river) → il Rio delle Amazzoni

b. (Myth) → Amazzone f

2. adj (basin) → amazzonico/a
the Amazon rainforest → la foresta amazzonica