Etymograph

English

Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego comes from Spanish Tierra del Fuego.

  1. Spanishc. 1500–presentTierra del Fuegoliterally ‘Land of Fire’
  2. Englishtodaysame form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Spanishc. 1500–presentTierra del Fuegoliterally ‘Land of Fire’
  2. Englishtodaysame form

The story

Borrowed from Spanish Tierra del Fuego (literally “Land of Fire”), reportedly named so by Ferdinand Magellan after the many fires lit up by the local population.

Every English word from Spanish Tierra del Fuego

Today it means

name An island at the southern tip of South America, politically divided between Chile and Argentina; in full, Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Spanish Tierra del Fuego / Tierra del Fuego

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