Magellan, FerdinandMa‧gel‧lan, Fer‧di‧nand /məˈɡelən, -ˈdʒe- $ -ˈdʒe-, ˈfɜːdənænd $ ˈfɜːr-/(?1480–1521) a Portuguese sailor generally considered to be the first person to sail all around the world. The strait of magellan at the bottom of South America was named after him.