Araucanian

noun

Arau·​ca·​ni·​an ə-ˌrau̇-ˈkä-nē-ən  ˌa-ˌrȯ-ˈkā- 

variants or less commonly Araucan

ə-ˈrau̇-kən 

1

: a member of a group of Indian peoples of south central Chile and adjacent regions of Argentina

2

: the language of the Araucanian people that constitutes an independent language family

Araucanian adjective

Word History

Etymology

Spanish araucano (from Arauco, earlier Rauco, Mapuche "province" of 16th-century Chile + -ano -an entry 1) + -ian

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1