Tehuelche

American  

[tuh-wel-chee, -chey] / təˈwɛl tʃi, -tʃeɪ /

noun

plural

Tehuelches,

plural

Tehuelche

1. a member of an Indigenous people of Patagonia.

2. the language of the Tehuelche.

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adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• Tehuelchean
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Tehuelche

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

Example Sentences

The Tehuelche were innovators, too: Outsiders marveled at their bolas, weighted rope snares they swung and launched from horseback to hunt llamalike guanaco and flightless rhea birds.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 7, 2023

By 1741, British accounts noted that the Tehuelche were masterful riders.

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

So, too, do the Tehuelche men, for that matter, and they say it preserves the teeth.

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