Am·a·zon
(ăm′ə-zŏn′, -zən)n.
1. A member of a legendary nation of women warriors reputed to have lived in ancient Scythia.
2. often amazon A tall, aggressive, strong-willed woman.
3. often amazon Any of various predominantly green parrots of the genus Amazona, native to Central and South America and sometimes kept as pets.
[Middle English, from Latin Amāzōn, from Greek Amazōn, 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. Amazōn is the Ionian Greek form of the Iranian word ha-mazan, "fighting together." The regular Greek form would be hamazōn, but because the Ionians dropped their aitches like Cockneys, hamazōn became amazōn, the form taken into the other Greek dialects.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
amazon
(ˈæməzən)n
(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
Amazon
(ˈæməzən)n
1. (Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth one of a race of women warriors of Scythia near the Black Sea
2. (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
[C14: via Latin from Greek Amazōn, of uncertain origin]
Amazonian adj
Amazon
(ˈæməzən)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)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Am•a•zon
(ˈæm əˌzɒn, -zən)n.
1. a river in N South America, flowing E from the Peruvian Andes through N Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean: the largest river in the world in volume of water carried. 3900 mi. (6280 km) long.
2. (in legends of the ancient Greeks) a member of a nation of female warriors.
3. (often l.c.) a tall, powerful, forceful woman.
[< Latin Amazōn < Greek Amazṓn, of obscure orig.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  amazon - a large strong and aggressive womanadult 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)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 parrotsparrot - usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds Amazona, genus Amazona - a genus of Psittacidae |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Amazonka
AmazonaAmazonka
Amazonka
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Amazon
[ˈæməzən] modif (= Amazonian) [tribe, Indian, rainforest] → amazonien(ne), de l'Amazonie
the Amazon region → l'Amazonie
the Amazon jungle → la forêt amazonienne Amazon basinAmazon basin n
the Amazon basin → le bassin de l'Amazone
the Amazon region → l'Amazonie
the Amazon jungle → la forêt amazonienne Amazon basinAmazon basin n
the Amazon basin → le bassin de l'Amazone
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Amazon
[ˈæməz/ən]Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995