Fuegian
- proper noun
- Darwin liked the Fuegians, and his long contact in close quarters helped to convince him that all people share a common biology, whatever their cultural disparity.
Examples
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The American aborigines, Negroes, and Europeans differ as much from each other in mind as any three races that can be named; yet I was incessantly struck, while living with the Fuegians on board the "Beagle," by the many little traits of character showing how similar their minds were to ours.
Academic text (1991) -
The Fuegian culture is rich in traditions that have been passed down through generations.
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Each Fuegian family or tribe has a wizard or conjuring doctor.
Academic text (1991) -
There he "acquired," through ransom and purchase, four Fuegians.
Academic text (1991) -
But also teach about the excellence of Pygmy bushcraft and Fuegian survival in the world's harshest climate.
Academic text (1991) -
Darwin's final line on the Fuegians (in the Voyage of the Beagle) uses an interesting and revealing phrase in summary: "I believe, in this extreme part of South America, man exists in a lower state of improvement than in any other part of the world."
Academic text (1991) -
During the expedition, the team studied the Fuegian way of life and its adaptations to the harsh environment.
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The Fuegian people are known for their unique storytelling and connection to the land.
Synonyms
2
1.0
A person who lives in or comes from South America
2
6.4
A person or thing from the Patagonia region in southern South America
Surface Forms
Morphology
Fuegian = Tierra del Fuego (semi-transparent) = Fuego + ian
The demonym -ian signals a person from a place, but the place name is foreign and may be unknown to learners, so understanding depends on knowledge of the toponym.
Etymology
Fuegian for a person comes from Spanish Fuego 'fire' because explorers named the islands the 'Land of Fire' after seeing many coastal fires, and the suffix -ian (as in Canadian) shows they are 'from that place', so a Fuegian is someone from Tierra del Fuego.