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

For one example, the blood of the Spaniards permeates modern Latin America; they were rightly called conquistadores. —Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024

The fruit’s spread vastly outpaced Spanish colonization, suggesting that Indigenous people, not Spanish explorers and conquistadors, did the work. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2024

Dávila, the conquistador of present-day northern Colombia, once read it out of earshot of a village just before launching a surprise attack. —Diego Javier Luis, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2024

Spanish conquistadors brought the cooking style practiced by indigenous Caribbean tribes north. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 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"