araucan
araucan Lexical Profile
• adjective
Relating to the indigenous people of south-central Chile and adjacent areas of Argentina, or to their language and culture.
"The museum recently acquired an impressive collection of Araucan silverwork and textiles."
• noun
A member of an indigenous group of people native to south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, historically renowned for their long and successful resistance against the Spanish Empire.
"During the colonial period, the Araucans successfully defended their ancestral territories south of the Bío Bío River from Spanish conquest."
The language or language family spoken by the Araucan people.
"Many early Spanish missionaries learned Araucan in an attempt to communicate and negotiate with the indigenous leaders."
Word Nuance & Usage
The term 'Araucan' (or 'Araucanian') is an exonym historically given by the Spanish; today, the people themselves predominantly use and strongly prefer the endonym 'Mapuche'.
• Rhymes for araucan
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Spanish 'araucano', referring to the inhabitants of the Arauco region in central Chile. 'Arauco' itself likely comes from the Mapudungun words 'rag' (clay) and 'ko' (water).