Magellan, Ferdinand
Syllabification: (Ma·gel·lan, Ferdinand)
Pronunciation: /məˈjelən/
Definition of Magellan, Ferdinand
- (circa 1480–1521), Portuguese explorer; Portuguese name Fernão Magalhães. In 1519, he sailed from Spain, rounding South America through the strait that now bears his name, and reached the Philippines in 1521. He was killed in a skirmish on Cebu; the survivors sailed back to Spain around Africa, completing the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1522.