Spanish

noun

Span·​ish ˈspa-nish 

1

: the Romance language of the largest part of Spain and of the countries colonized by Spaniards

2

plural in construction : the people of Spain

Spanish adjective

Spanishness noun

Examples of Spanish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During the interview, a mix of languages is spoken, with Ruiz conversing in Spanish, Kvaratskhelia in English and Dembele in French. — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

In Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s La Bola Negra (Netflix), Cruz plays a bawdy cabaret singer entertaining troops during the Spanish Civil War. — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

In the case of Equatorial Guinea, a former colony of Spain that had Spanish as its original official language, its government added French in 1997 as a result of the country’s growing economic ties with Francophone countries. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026

The three Spanish Culpables films combined have been watched by more than 100 million viewers worldwide, with 90% of those viewers coming from outside of Spain. — Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, adjective, from Middle English Spainish, from Spain

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Spanish

• Judeo-Spanish
• Mexican Spanish
• Spanish American
• Spanish bayonet
• Spanish chestnut
• Spanish fly
• Spanish mackerel
• Spanish moss
• Spanish needles
• Spanish omelet
• Spanish onion
• Spanish rice
• the Spanish

Rhymes for Spanish

• banish
• clannish
• mannish
• vanish

Kids Definition

Spanish

noun

Span·​ish ˈspan-ish 

1

: the Romance language of Spain and of the countries colonized by Spaniards

2

Spanish plural : the people of Spain

Spanish adjective