cacique

English

Alternative forms

• cazic, cazique

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cacique, from Taíno *kasike or Arawak kassequa, cazaqah (“chieftain; power”).

Noun

cacique (plural caciques)

1. (historical) A tribal chief in the Spanish West Indies.

   Synonym: chieftain

   • 1993 December 5, Anthony Depalma, “Why Mexico Has Only One Big Hat In the Ring”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Mexico has loved a strong leader since before Moctezuma. Indigenous tribes were ruled by caciques, or chieftans^[sic], and in some rural communities caciques are still unchallenged.

2. A local political leader in Latin America.

   Coordinate term: caudillo

3. (ornithology) Any of a number of tropical blackbirds from Central America and South America, family Icteridae.

Translations

tribal chief in the Spanish West Indies

• German: Kazike (de) m

bird of the family Icteridae

• Finnish: turpiaali (fi)

• Spanish: cacique (es) m, arrendajo m

Further reading

• cacique on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cacique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.sik/

Noun

cacique m (plural caciques)

1. (historical) chieftain (Indian chief in a tribe)
2. (by extension) a very powerful person

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cacique, from Taíno *kasike or Arawak kassequa, cazaqah (“chieftain; power”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ca‧ci‧que

Noun

cacique m (plural caciques, feminine cacica, feminine plural cacicas)

1. (historical) cacique (chieftain)

   Synonym: chefe

2. (by extension) very powerful person

Derived terms

• caciquismo

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Spanish

Etymology

From Taíno *kasike (“chieftain”) or Arawak kassequa (“chieftain; power”).

Pronunciation

• (Castilian) IPA^(key): /kaˈθike/
• (Latin America) IPA^(key): /kaˈsike/

• Audio (Spain)

  (file)

Noun

cacique m (plural caciques, feminine cacica, feminine plural cacicas)

1. (historical) chieftain (Indian chief in a tribe)
2. (by extension) powerful person, fat cat
3. (ornithology) cacique (bird)

Derived terms

• cacicato
• cacicazgo
• caciquear
• caciquismo
• caciquil
• cacicada
• cacicatura
• cacical

Descendants

• → English: cacique
• → French: cacique
• → German: Kazike
• → Portuguese: cacique

Further reading

• “cacique” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.