El Dorado

noun

El Do·​ra·​do ˌel-də-ˈrä-(ˌ)dō 

-ˈrā-

1

: a city or country of fabulous riches held by 16th century explorers to exist in South America

2

: a place of fabulous wealth or opportunity

Did you know?

In the early 1500s, Spanish conquistadores heard tales of an Amazonian king who regularly coated his body with gold dust, then plunged into a nearby lake to wash it off while being showered with gold and jewels thrown by his subjects. The Spaniards called the city ruled by this flamboyant monarch El Dorado, Spanish for "gilded one," and the story of the gold-covered king eventually grew into a legend of a whole country paved with gold. These days, El Dorado can also used generically for any place of vast riches, abundance, or opportunity. It is also the name of actual cities in Arkansas and Kansas.

Examples of El Dorado in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lightning fireworks remains prohibited in unincorporated Placer and Yolo counties, throughout El Dorado County and in the city of Davis, among other jurisdictions. — Velvet Wu june 25, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026

Pastor Daniel Egger of El Dorado First Assembly describes this work as deeply rooted in faith, a core mission of the church. — Arkansas Online, 21 June 2026

The small business owner of Ace High Concrete Supply lives in El Dorado Hills and spends around 25 hours on the road weekly. — Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 19 June 2026

Davis – 4551 2nd St. El Dorado Hills – 4456 Golden Foothill Parkway, Suite 120 Folsom – Old Ranch Way and East Bidwell St. Lincoln – NEC Ferrari Ranch Road and Lincoln Blvd. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 18 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, the gilded one

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for El Dorado

• avocado
• desperado
• adelantado
• bravado
• machado
• mikado
• incommunicado

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