Etymograph

English

amazon

Amazon comes from the proper noun Amazon, from Ancient Greek Ἀμαζών, a word of uncertain, probably foreign origin.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἈμαζών1Amazṓn‘Amazon’
  2. English1500–presentAmazon1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2010amazon1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English amazon
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2010, G. P. Jelliss, Simple Chess Variants: “In Triple-guard promotion chess (GPJ) a pawn newly triple-guarded…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἈμαζώνWiktionary, English amazonAmazṓn‘Amazon’
  2. English1500–presentAmazonWiktionary, English amazon
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2010amazonWiktionary, English amazon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2010, G. P. Jelliss, Simple Chess Variants: “In Triple-guard promotion chess (GPJ) a pawn newly triple-guarded…”

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Today it means

noun A tall, strong, athletic woman.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “amazon”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek Ἀμαζών / amazon