Amazonas
/ˌæm.əˈzoʊ.nəs/noun
A proper name used chiefly for the Brazilian state of Amazonas and, in Spanish and Portuguese, for the Amazon River region.
Did you know?Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana reportedly named the river after claiming that Indigenous women fought alongside men, evoking the Amazons of Greek mythology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἀμαζόνες (Amazónes)
“The mythical Amazons, a legendary nation of warrior women; the word’s deeper origin is uncertain.”
16th Century
Spanish
Amazonas
“A name applied to the great South American river after Orellana’s expedition associated its reported female warriors with the Greek Amazons.”
16th Century
Portuguese
Amazonas
“The river and surrounding region in Portuguese colonial usage.”
1850
Portuguese
Amazonas
“Name adopted for a Brazilian province, later reorganized as the state of Amazonas.”
Modern English
English
Amazonas
“A proper name referring chiefly to Brazil’s Amazonas state or to the Amazon region in Spanish- and Portuguese-language contexts.”