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Ma·gel·lan

(mə-jĕlən), Ferdinand 1480?-1521.

Portuguese navigator. Seeking a western route to Asia (1519), Magellan and his Spanish expedition sailed through the strait that now bears his name (1520). He named and crossed the Pacific Ocean, reaching the Philippines (1521), where he died fighting for a local king. One of his ships returned to Spain (1522), completing the first circumnavigation of the globe.

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Ferdinand Magellan

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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