conquistador

noun

con·​quis·​ta·​dor kän-ˈkē-stə-ˌdȯr 

kən-,

 also  -ˈkwi-,

-ˈki-

plural conquistadores (ˌ)kän-ˌkē-stə-ˈdȯr-ēz 

-ˈdȯr-ˌās,

kən-;

(ˌ)kän-ˌkwi-,

-ˌki-

or conquistadors

: one that conquers

specifically : a leader in the Spanish conquest of America and especially of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century

Examples of conquistador in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors searched restlessly for El Dorado, the city of gold; in the 1850s, thousands of gold seekers panned for fortune in the California hills. —Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 3 Dec. 2024

Triumph and Tragedy at the Dawn of Mountaineering, by Daniel Light In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Diego de Ordaz reached the summit of the stratovolcano Popocatépetl during an expedition in Mexico under Hernan Cortés. —Charles Curkin, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

Merchants, entrepreneurs, and conquistadors, with increasingly powerful states backing them, propelled European expansion. —Mark Blyth, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2016

Related Video Jennie Reveals How Cold-Plunging Loosens Up Her Muscles and Opens Up Her Mind Cacao was imported to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. —Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, ultimately from Latin conquirere — see conquer

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

conquistador

noun

con·​quis·​ta·​dor kȯŋ-ˈkēs-tə-ˌdȯ(ə)r 

kän-ˈk(w)is-,

kən-

plural conquistadores kȯŋ-ˌkēs-tə-ˈdȯr-ēz 

-ˈdȯr-ˌās;

-ˈdōr-;

kän-k(w)is-,

ˈkən-

or conquistadors

: a leader in the Spanish conquest of America in the 16th century

Etymology

Spanish, derived from Latin conquirere "to search for"