Amazon
noun /ˈæməzən/
/ˈæməzɑːn/
- (in ancient Greek stories) a woman from a group of female warriors (= soldiers)
- amazon(literary) a tall strong woman
- Amazon™a company set up in 1994 to sell books through the internet. It was one of the first large companies to sell goods in this way. Customers can order books, music, DVDs and other products online, often at lower prices than the prices in shops, and the goods are delivered to their homes. The US-based website was followed by services in the UK, France, Japan and other countries. The company now also offers video, music, video game and computer services.
Word Originlate Middle English: via Latin from Greek Amazōn, explained by the Greeks as ‘breastless’ (as if from a- ‘without’ + mazos ‘breast’), referring to the fable that the Amazons cut off the right breast so as not to interfere with the use of a bow, but probably a folk etymology of an unknown foreign word.