intendente

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /in.tenˈdɛn.te/
• Rhymes: -ɛnte
• Hyphenation: in‧ten‧dèn‧te

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French intendant.

Noun

intendente m or f by sense (plural intendenti)

1. a financial administrator
2. a colonel in certain military forces

Derived terms

• intendente di finanza
• intendente generale

Related terms

• intendenza

Etymology 2

Participle

intendente m or f by sense (plural intendenti)

1. present participle of intendere

Further reading

• “intendente”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from French intendant, introduced by the Bourbon dynasty for various functions.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.tẽˈdẽ.t͡ʃi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ĩ.tẽˈdẽ.tɨ/

• Hyphenation: in‧ten‧den‧te

Noun

intendente m or f by sense (plural intendentes)

1. (historical) intendant (a high-ranking local administrator)
2. superintendent, administrator
3. (military) quartermaster
4. a rank in the Portuguese Public Security Police
5. (Brazil, obsolete) mayor

   Synonym: prefeito

Derived terms

• superintendente

Related terms

• intendência
• intender

Further reading

• “intendente”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French intendant, introduced by the common Bourbon dynasty for various functions.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /intenˈdente/ [ĩn̪.t̪ẽn̪ˈd̪ẽn̪.t̪e]

• Audio (Costa Rica):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ente
• Syllabification: in‧ten‧den‧te

Noun

intendente m or f by sense (plural intendentes, feminine intendente or intendenta, feminine plural intendentes or intendentas)

1. manager, supervisor (a person whose job is to manage a business)

   Synonyms: gerente, director

2. (historical) intendant (a high-ranking local administrator in the Spanish Empire)
3. (military) quartermaster general
4. (Bolivia, Paraguay, Rioplatense) ellipsis of intendente municipal (“mayor or county administrator”)

   Synonyms: intendente municipal, alcalde

5. (Chile) governor, intendant (the leader of a region)
6. (Colombia) a rank in the National Police
7. (Costa Rica) intendant (the leader of a special semi-autonomous district)
8. (Cuba) intendant (a local government administrator)
9. (Ecuador, Mexico, law enforcement) inspector
10. (Paraguay) intendant (the leader of a district)
11. (Uruguay) intendant (the leader of a department)

    Synonym: intendente departamental

Derived terms

• subintendente
• superintendente

Related terms

• intendencia

Further reading

• “intendente”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• intendente on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^es