Araucanian

[ ar-aw-key-nee-uhn ]

noun
  1. a member of an Indigenous people of central Chile and northern Argentina, living especially in the Araucania region.

  2. the language of the Araucanians, spoken in central Chile and northern Argentina.

adjective
  1. of or relating to the Araucanians or to their language.

  2. of or relating to the region of Araucania in Chile.

Origin of Araucanian

1
First recorded in 1900–05; Araucani(a) + -an

Words Nearby Araucanian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Araucanian in a sentence

  • Villagran, returning to the capital with reinforcements, found the investing Araucanian army in a totally unprepared condition.

    South America | W. H. Koebel
  • Arauco, a province of Chile, named from the Araucanian Indians; area, 2189 sq. miles; pop.

  • It was in the neighbourhood of the Biobio River that he first encountered the Araucanian warriors of the true stock.

    South America | W. H. Koebel
  • Very possibly, chief; but, according to that principle, all Chili was Araucanian previous to the discovery of America.

    The Adventurers | Gustave Aimard
  • At this moment the Araucanian drums and trumpets sounded loudly—the chasquis were calling the chiefs to council.

    The Adventurers | Gustave Aimard

British Dictionary definitions for Araucanian

Araucanian

/ (ˌærɔːˈkeɪnɪən) /


noun
  1. a South American Indian language; thought to be an isolated branch of the Penutian phylum, spoken in Chile and W Argentina

  2. a member of the people who speak this language

adjective
  1. of or relating to this people or their language

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012