Skip to main content
Peru

Peru

112 1.0
A country in western South America with high mountains and ancient Inca ruins
  • proper noun
  • /pəˈruː/
translation icon : Perú
  • My mother and I went to Lima, Peru, to wait until the end of the war.
  • the country of Peru
  • Peru and Chile
  • Peru and Bolivia

You're testing this in three countries, Peru, Costa Rica, and Chile.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • But if you come down to Peru, we'd be happy to take you through our hubs.

  • I visited Peru last summer and admired the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.

  • I found her in the streets of Peru and I made this video.

  • And but I learned so much about Peru and the people.

  • I work in a bar in Peru.

  • They're having a meeting in Peru this Saturday.

  • We've got a project going on down in Peru right now.

  • APRA is the oldest political party in Peru and the best organized.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Whoever he was, when the Spaniards arrived in Peru in the 1500s, local people were still talking about him.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Furthermore, Chile has offered to share the denomination with Peru in order to jointly manage and promote the product.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

2.2

A country in western South America known for the ancient Inca Empire and Machu Picchu

is the everyday short name used in common speech

Compounds

A tall tropical plant that grows quickly, smells strong, has large trumpet-shaped flowers, and prickly poisonous fruit

balsam of Peru
  • Specialized
9.4

A dark brown sticky substance from a tree used in perfumes, to add flavour, and to help wounds heal

A garden plant with fragrant, colorful flowers that open in late afternoon

A country in western South America known for the ancient Inca Empire and Machu Picchu

A very deep valley on the Pacific Ocean floor near Peru and Chile

Surface Forms

Peru main

Etymology

Peru probably comes from a local name, Birú, who was a chief or the name of a place that Spanish sailors heard when they first reached the coast, and they used that name for the whole region. So the country's modern name comes from the name the first visitors used for the land.