The Elusive Root of a Nation: An Inquiry into the Etymology of “Chile”
| Hypothesis | Language | Meaning | Geographic Match | Historical Attestation | Current Standing | |------------|----------|---------|------------------|------------------------|-------------------| | Mapuche | Mapudungun | “End of the land” | Weak (south, not north) | Late, romantic | Popular, unproven | | Aymara | Aymara | “Cold / Snow” | Strong (north, Atacama) | Early (16th c.) | Most probable | | Quechua | Quechua | “Cold” / “Limit” | Moderate | Moderate | Possible but secondary | | Cacique | N/A | Personal name | Weak | Very early, but unreliable | Dismissed | etimologia de chile