Magellan

American  

[muh-jel-uhn] / məˈdʒɛl ən /

noun

1. Ferdinand, c1480–1521, Portuguese navigator: discoverer of the Strait of Magellan 1520 and the Philippines 1521.

2. Strait of Magellan, Also Straits of Magellan a strait near the southern tip of South America between the mainland of Chile and Tierra del Fuego and other islands, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. 360 miles (580 kilometers) long.

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Magellan ¹ British  

/ məˈɡɛlən /

noun

1. a strait between the mainland of S South America and Tierra del Fuego, linking the S Pacific with the S Atlantic. Length: 600 km (370 miles). Width: up to 32 km (20 miles)

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Magellan ² British  

/ məˈɡɛlən /

noun

1. Ferdinand. Portuguese name Fernão de Magalhães. ?1480–1521, Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain. He commanded an expedition of five ships that set out to sail to the East Indies via the West. He discovered the Strait of Magellan (1520), crossed the Pacific, and reached the Philippines (1521), where he was killed by natives. One of his ships reached Spain (1522) and was therefore the first to circumnavigate the world

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Other Word Forms

• Magellanic adjective

Example Sentences

As new observatories such as the Giant Magellan Telescope prepare to directly image Earth-like planets around nearby stars, distinguishing between real planets and temporary dust clouds will become increasingly important.

From Science Daily

Lynch took over Fidelity’s Magellan Fund when it had a mere $18 million in assets.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 1521, he and his men defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan and some of his native allies at the battle of Mactan, delaying Spanish occupation of the region for over 40 years.

From BBC

But it’s often forgotten that for the first four years of his management, Magellan was a private investment fund for Fidelity’s founding Johnson family.

From Los Angeles Times

The Venezuelan kayaker had been paddling through the Strait of Magellan, off Chile's Patagonian coast, with his father when he felt something "hit me from behind, closing in on me and sinking me".

From BBC