alcalde

noun

al·​cal·​de al-ˈkäl-dē How to pronounce alcalde (audio)
: the chief administrative and judicial officer or the mayor of a town in a Spanish-speaking country or region

Examples of alcalde in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1823, the merchant served one term as alcalde. Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Oct. 2021 The group learned about the alcalde project from Erika Haskins. Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 18 Oct. 2021 Castillo, a former alcalde or mayor, lived from 1790 to 1842. Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Oct. 2021 The 20 or so members of the Sanchez family who captured alcalde Washington Bartlett and the others escorted their prisoners to ranches across the Bay Area. Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, 7 Feb. 2020 Don Herculano, el alcalde, se ha enamorado locamente y sus rivales políticos esperan conseguir su posición. Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2019 To summarize the story (which actually takes nearly three hours to tell, given all the big musical numbers and reprises), Don Alejandro de la Vega (Seth Trucks), the alcalde of Los Angeles, has two young sons who don’t get along. Christine Dolen, miamiherald, 10 Apr. 2018 Not long afterward, the alcalde’s title was changed to mayor. Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alcalde.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, borrowed from Arabic al-qāḑī, from al "the" + qāḑī "judge," noun derivative from active participle of qaḑā "to judge"

Note: The intrusive l in the Spanish word presumably reflects velarized Arabic ḑ.

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of alcalde was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near alcalde

Cite this Entry

“Alcalde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alcalde. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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