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

Archaeologists think the battle may have started so quickly that the Spanish conquistadors didn’t have time to fire the 3.5-foot-long cannon. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024

Now, though, many sectors in the FTSE 100 are coming up roses, even though it cannot be clearly seen in the chart because the market is awash with non-U.K. conquistadors sweeping in and asset stripping the U.K. market because of its fundamental cheapness. —Clem Chambers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

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

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"