Mapuche

noun

Ma·​pu·​che mə-ˈpü-chē How to pronounce Mapuche (audio)
1
plural Mapuche or Mapuches : a member of an Indigenous people of southern Chile and Argentina
2
: the Araucanian language of the Mapuche

Examples of Mapuche in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Similarly, Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo engages ancestral wisdom and themes of sustainability in her 3D animation, MAPU KUFÜLL (2020). Najha Zigbi-Johnson, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2024 For many Mapuche, this presents not solely a territorial dispute: The land is part of their cultural and spiritual identity. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024 In Chile, the indigenous Mapuche people had resisted Spain’s conquistadores, sometimes defeating them in battle. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 The horrors are bounteous, the narrative a bit disjointed; the Indigenous people, along with Segundo, who is half Mapuche, say little or are largely silent. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024 Weaving together experimental rock with the evocative sounds of the Mapuche tribe and their Mapudugun chants — alongside over 1,000 pitches of whale vocalization — ECDYSIS unveils itself as a captivating and meditative odyssey. Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 27 Dec. 2023 As the film begins, Gallardo Vásquez provides a brief yet vivid primer on Mapuche culture and trepidatiously steps out of their comfort zone and into a divine set of days filled with rituals that mingle alongside rural life in the south of Chile. Holly Jones, Variety, 24 Aug. 2023 While going through an archive in the city of Berlin, ayoung Mapuche academic unearths the testimonies of Mapuche prisoners who were expelled from their territories during the military invasions of Argentina and Chile. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 16 May 2023 In La Araucania, the heartland of the indigenous Mapuche people, nearly 74% voted against the document. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 5 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Mapuche mapuče, a self-designation, from mapu land + če people

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Mapuche was in 1855

Dictionary Entries Near Mapuche

Cite this Entry

“Mapuche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mapuche. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Mapuche

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!