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

Like other wild horses in the U.S. today, the Salt River herd is mostly descended from horses first brought to North America by 15th-century Spanish explorers and conquistadors. —Marcus Reichley, The Arizona Republic, 20 July 2024

Much of what is known of the rules come from the records of Spanish conquistadors who encountered it during their besiegement of the Aztec Empire in the 1500s. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 16 July 2024

In 1527, an enslaved African man named Esteban reached North America as part of a Spanish expedition led by the conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez. —Amanda Bellows, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 June 2024

Smallpox probably traveled from Europe to Peru with conquistador Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 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"