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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

A branch of the Tehuelche are unquestionably the Ona of the eastern parts of Fuegia, the true aborigines of which are the Yahgans of the central and the Alakalufs of the western islands.

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

Certainly no people have finer teeth than 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

The scientific world is especially indebted to Don Ramon Lista, who was careful, when among the Tehuelches, to collect as much of what may be called their literature as possible.

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

Lassoes, used by Tehuelches and gauchos, 164; description of, horsehair rope, 235 Lava beds at Santa Cruz, 217 Lawrence, Rev. John, Yahgan canoes described by, 55, 78; children of, continue mission work, 104 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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