Etymology: ? < Spanish brasil (also Portuguese brasil) or Italian brasile; corresponding to French brésil, Provençal bresil, brezilh, in Old French berzi, bresis, Old Italian verzino, in medieval Latin ? brezellum, brasilium, bresillum, braxile: of unknown origin; perhaps a corruption of an oriental name of the dye-wood originally so called. On the discovery of an allied species, also yielding a dye, in South America, the territory where it grew was called terra de brasil, ‘red-dye-wood land’, afterwards abbreviated to Brasil ‘Brazil’. Brazil-wood was thus not named from the country, but the converse was the case. Formerly pronounced in English ˈbrazil, as shown by rhymes and spellings. Conjectural etymologies are French briser to break, brésiller to crumble (as if the wood arrived in a broken state); also French braise, Spanish brasa ‘glowing coal’ (from its colour); also Arabic wars saffron, in some parts perhaps pronounced vars, vers (compare Italian verzino). See Diez, Littré.

Etymology: ? < brass n. Perhaps better spelt brassil; but brazzle is the common dialect pronunciation.