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

“You probably don’t need supersophistication if you have $500,000 or less,” said Joe Lukacs, an adviser coach and founder of Magellan Network.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

He was nearly wiped out but got back on his financial footing when a venture capitalist asked him in 1986 to be chairman of the board, with stock options, of a new company called Magellan.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Nearly half of all ad revenue goes to just 500 podcasts, according to analytics platform Magellan AI, and Edison data shows top-10 shows account for about 40% of weekly podcast listenership.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

They used the Gemini South telescope on Cerro Pachón in Chile, along with the Apache Point Observatory 3.5-meter telescope and the 6.5 meter Magellan Telescopes.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026

Galileo, when in 1610 he announced to the world what he had seen through his telescope, was compared to his fellow Florentine Amerigo Vespucci, to Christopher Columbus and to Ferdinand Magellan.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton