the red wood obtained from various tropical leguminous trees of the genus Caesalpinia, such as C. echinata of America: used for cabinetwork

the red or purple dye extracted from any of these woods

a republic in South America, comprising about half the area and half the population of South America: colonized by the Portuguese from 1500 onwards; became independent in 1822 and a republic in 1889; consists chiefly of the tropical Amazon basin in the north, semiarid scrub in the northeast, and a vast central tableland; an important producer of coffee and minerals, esp iron ore. Official language: Portuguese. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: real. Capital: Brasília. Pop: 209 288 278 (2017 est). Area: 8 511 957 sq km (3 286 470 sq miles)