Araucanian

American  

[ar-aw-key-nee-uhn] / ˌær ɔˈkeɪ ni ən /

noun

1. a member of an Indigenous people of central Chile and northern Argentina, living especially in the Araucania region.

2. the language of the Araucanians, spoken in central Chile and northern Argentina.

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adjective

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

2. of or relating to the region of Araucania in Chile.

Araucanian British  

/ ˌærɔːˈkeɪnɪən /

noun

1. a South American Indian language; thought to be an isolated branch of the Penutian phylum, spoken in Chile and W Argentina

2. a member of the people who speak this language

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adjective

1. of or relating to this people or their language

Etymology

Origin of Araucanian

First recorded in 1900–05; Araucani(a) + -an

Example Sentences

Emotions over the schism are running high in unlikely pockets of Araucanian activism, such as Bryn Athyn, Pa., headquarters of the 282-member North American Araucanian Royalist Society.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2015

After his expulsion from Chile, Mr. de Tounens tried to finance a comeback by issuing bonds in London and minting Araucanian coins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2015

The society is run by a Presbyterian minister, Daniel Morrison, who also edits The Steel Crown, a journal known for articles on esoteric matters such as Mapuche percussion instruments and the 66-article Araucanian constitution.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2015

One of the Mapuche warrior chiefs who led his braves against the Araucanian, again against Argentine invaders from across the lesser Andes of the south, was venerable Jacinto Lefignir Ineleu, then 68 years old.

From Time Magazine Archive

North American Plains Indians, South American Araucanian Indians, New Zealand’s Maoris, and Ethiopians acquired guns and used them to hold off European conquest for a long time, though they were ultimately defeated.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond