Chile
/ˈtʃɪl.i/noun
A country in western South America stretching along the Pacific coast.
Did you know?The exact origin of the name Chile is uncertain, but it is widely thought to come from an Indigenous South American source recorded by early Spanish chroniclers, not from any European word or mythic “hidden” meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian era
Indigenous
(uncertain; possibly from an Andean native word)
“A local place-name or regional term used by Indigenous peoples before Spanish contact.”
16th Century
Spanish
Chile
“The Spanish-written form of the name used for the territory in colonial records.”
Colonial period
Spanish
Chile
“The name of the region and later the Spanish colony in South America.”
Modern English
English
Chile
“The modern country name.”