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Tehuelche

American  
[tuh-wel-chee, -chay] / təˈwɛl tʃi, -tʃeɪ /

noun

  • Tehuelches,
    plural
  • Tehuelche
    plural
  1. a member of an Indigenous people of Patagonia.

  2. the language of the Tehuelche.


adjective

  1. of or relating to the Tehuelche or their language.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of Tehuelche

First recorded in 1770–80; from Spanish, from Araucanian cheu(ù)lche, of uncertain meaning


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The dinosaur's name honors the traditions of the Aonikenk people, the southernmost group of the Indigenous Tehuelche peoples of Patagonia.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

The locals, probably Indigenous Tehuelche people, were no longer notable just for their size.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 7, 2023

The Indigenous Tehuelche people called it Chaltén, or smoking mountain, because it is usually shrouded by clouds.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022

The fossils of Gualicho, named after an evil spirit feared by Patagonia's indigenous Tehuelche people, were discovered in Argentina's Rio Negro Province.

From Reuters ● Jul. 13, 2016

Beyond the Rio Negro follow the gigantic Patagonians, that is, the Tehuelche or Chuelche of the Araucanians, who have no true collective name unless it be Tsoneca, a word of uncertain use and origin.

From Man, Past and Present by Alfred Court Haddon

It was a scene of austere beauty: the rolling plain, broken here and there by basalt outcroppings where the native Tehuelches took shelter from the wind and lie in wait for passing game.

From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2019

The Tehuelches carry guns and pistols to some extent, but chiefly for use against the spirits.

From The Gold Diggings of Cape Horn A Study of Life in Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia by John R. Spears

The Rev. Titus Coan, the Yankee missionary who went to Patagonia, but concluded that the Arab-like life of the Tehuelches was unsuited to Yankee missionary tastes, found runaway sailors among the Tehuelches.

From The Gold Diggings of Cape Horn A Study of Life in Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia by John R. Spears

They do not build boats and neither do the Tehuelches of Patagonia, but considerable numbers of Onas have been found in Patagonia and may still be found there.

From The Gold Diggings of Cape Horn A Study of Life in Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia by John R. Spears

New Year's Island, north of Staten Island, 18, 140; gold on, 148, 150 Nomads of Patagonia, the Tehuelches, 151 et seq.

From The Gold Diggings of Cape Horn A Study of Life in Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia by John R. Spears

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