presidio

noun

pre·​si·​dio pri-ˈsē-dē-ˌō How to pronounce presidio (audio)
-ˈsi-,
-ˈzē-,
-ˈzi- How to pronounce presidio (audio)
plural presidios
: a garrisoned place
especially : a military post or fortified settlement in areas currently or originally under Spanish control

Examples of presidio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Presidio Park contains remnants of the Spanish presidio from 1769. San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023 In the heart of historic Santa Barbara, between where the Spanish built the original presidio and today’s City Hall, sits El Paseo, which is considered California’s first outdoor mall. Matt Kettmann, SFChronicle.com, 30 July 2019 González taught Chicano theater at Santa Barbara College and used that position to stage plays in the city’s historic presidio centered on the Virgin of Guadalupe and pastorelas, the Nativity pantomimes staged in Mexico and the American Southwest for centuries. Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2022 His mother was an artist whose great-grandfather had served the Spanish and Mexican governments as head of the Santa Barbara presidio, and his father was an engineer who raced cars, flew planes and surfed in Hawaii with Duke Kahanamoku. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 14 June 2022 His mother was an artist whose great-grandfather had served the Spanish and Mexican governments as head of the Santa Barbara presidio, and his father was an engineer who raced cars, flew planes, and surfed in Hawaii with Duke Kahanamoku. Harrison Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2022 Made with durable presidio leather, this slightly rugged, highly-stylish bag looks just as good as other leather briefcases worth thousands more. Christian Gollayan, Men's Health, 21 Apr. 2022 The first section of the linear park opened in 2018 for the 300th anniversary of founding the first mission and presidio. Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Jan. 2022 However, San Antonio was not founded until 1718, when its first mission and first presidio were established at San Pedro Springs. Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'presidio.' 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

Spanish, from Latin praesidium

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of presidio was in 1763

Dictionary Entries Near presidio

Cite this Entry

“Presidio.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presidio. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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