USHUAIA

The word Ushuaia—the famous Argentine city, the southernmost in the world—is purely Megrelian in origin.

First, let’s examine the official etymology, which claims that the name comes from a local indigenous language (specifically, two words). However, the second part—"uaia"—is translated as "bay," which is simply the Spanish "bahía" rather than an indigenous term.

Now, turning to Otari Kajaa’s Megrelian dictionary, I found exactly what I was looking for. If "Ushuaia" is a Megrelian word, then it must derive from the adjective "ushuari," where the "r" was later dropped—a common occurrence in Megrelian. Additionally, the final "-a" is a definite article.

So, what does "ushuari" (უშუარი) mean in the dictionary? It translates to უვარგისი or უხეში in Georgian, meaning "useless," "worthless," or "rough." All three descriptors fit Ushuaia perfectly—the port is, indeed, functionally useless.