conquistador

American  

[kon-kwis-tuh-dawr, kong-, kawng-kees-tah-thawr] / kɒnˈkwɪs təˌdɔr, kɒŋ-, kɔŋˌkis tɑˈðɔr /

noun

conquistadors, plural conquistadores plural

1. one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.

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conquistador British  

/ kɒnˈkwɪstəˌdɔː, konkistaˈðor /

noun

1. an adventurer or conqueror, esp one of the Spanish conquerors of the New World in the 16th century

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• conquistadores
  plural
• conquistadors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conquistador

1540–50; < Spanish equivalent to conquist ( ar ) to conquer ( see conquest) + -ador -ator

Explanation

A conquistador is a person who is out to conquer new territory. A conquistador was the name given to the Fifteenth-to-Seventeenth century Spanish and Portugese soldiers who conquered much of the world, most famously the Central and Southern Americas. Not nice guys, but effective, and the term is still used today to describe certain people — ruthless business types, etc — who are brutally efficient at what they do. The most famous conquistador was the Spanish adventurer, Hernando Cortes, who subdued the mighty Aztec Empire of Mexico. The word comes, not surprisingly, from the Spanish verb conquistar, "to conquer."

Example Sentences

Because he didn't play any instruments, Reid was never considered an official member of Procul Harum, but he continued to employ his unique turns of phrase on tracks like A Salty Dog, Homburg and Conquistador.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2023

With her support — and seed money, sometimes — former Nayarit employees went on to open their own restaurants nearby, including El Batey market, Barragan’s, La Villa Taxco, El Conquistador and El Chavo.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2022

Chihuahuas, for instance, are indigenous to Mexico, with Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés writing in a letter that they were sold as food among the Aztecs.

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2021

They're all vying to win the unique Conquistador helmet awarded to the winner in Tucson.

From Fox News • Feb. 26, 2021

My theory is that the god of thunder HuracSn always acts up around the holiday of the Conquistador, who killed off all his Taino devotees.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez