patagón
Spanish
Etymology
Named Portuguese patagão by Magellan or Spanish patagón by his men, traditionally said to be from pata (“foot”), referring to the shoes of the Tehuelche. However, the -gón suffix remains unexplained; the more likely origin is an invented name from Amadís de Gaula by Montalvo, similar to California.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pataˈɡon/ [pa.t̪aˈɣ̞õn]
- Rhymes: -on
- Syllabification: pa‧ta‧gón
Adjective
patagón (feminine patagona, masculine plural patagones, feminine plural patagonas)
- Patagonian
Derived terms
- Patagonia
- tordo patagón
Noun
patagón m (plural patagones, feminine patagona, feminine plural patagonas)
- Patagonian
References
- Anthony Munday, The Famous and Renowned Historie of Primaleon of Greece, 1619, cap.XXXIII: "How Primaleon… found the Grand Patagon ".
Further reading
- “patagón”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014