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)

1. Patagonian

Derived terms

• busardo patagón
• Patagonia
• tordo patagón

 

Noun

patagón m (plural patagones, feminine patagona, feminine plural patagonas)

1. 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 (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28