*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Amazon

From Middle English, from Latin, from Ancient Greek Ἀμαζών (Amazṓn); perhaps Ionian Greek pronunciation of Old Persian *hamazan- (“warrior”), as the Amazon women were known warriors. A popular folk etymology, of Ancient

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A member of a mythical race of female warriors inhabiting the Black Sea area. · A female warrior. · A tall, strong, or athletic woman.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English, from Latin, from Ancient Greek Ἀμαζών (Amazṓn); perhaps Ionian Greek pronunciation of Old Persian *hamazan- (“warrior”), as the Amazon women were known warriors. A popular folk etymology, of Ancient Greek provenance, claims that the word derives from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + μαζός (mazós, “breast”), referencing the belief that Amazons cut off their right breast so that it would not hinder their ability to fire a bow or throw a spear.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "-"
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      "expansion": "Middle English"
    },
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        "2": "la",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Ἀμαζών"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Ἀμαζών (Amazṓn)"
    },
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        "sc": "Latn"
      },
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    }
  ],
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      "Ἀμαζών",
      "Ἀμαζών#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*hamazan-",
      "Reconstruction:Old Persian/hamazan-"
    ],
    [
      "folk etymology",
      "folk etymology"
    ],
    [
      "ἀ-",
      "ἀ-#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "μαζός",
      "μαζός#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A member of a mythical race of female warriors inhabiting the Black Sea area.",
        "A female warrior.",
        "A tall, strong, or athletic woman."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A river in South America, that flows through Brazil for about 4000 miles to the Atlantic. · A region including much of this river; specifically, the region of the Amazon Rainforest, or of the Amazon River Basin.

noun

Any of the large parrots from the genus Amazona.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Spanish Río Amazonas. It is common belief that the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana fought a battle against a tribe of Tapuya natives, in which the women fought alongside the men, and that he derived the name from the Amazons in Greek mythology.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "Río Amazonas"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish Río Amazonas"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Amazonas",
      "Amazonas#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "Tapuya",
      "Tapuya"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      ],
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To overwhelm or obliterate, in the context of an Internet start-up vastly outperforming its brick and mortar competition. · To order (something) on Amazon.

name

Amazon.com Inc., a very large Internet retailer.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Chosen by Jeff Bezos in 1994 as a word beginning with 'A' which had existing connotations (see meanings listed in etymologies 1 & 2) of being exotic, different, and (as the Amazon River) the largest of its kind in the world.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Amazon →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QW1hem9u