caudillismo

American  

[kaw-dil-yiz-moh, ‑dee-yiz-, kou-thee-lyeez-maw, ‑thee-yeez-maw] / ˌkɔ dɪlˈyɪz moʊ, ‑diˈyɪz-, ˌkaʊ ðiˈlyiz mɔ, ‑ðiˈyiz mɔ /

noun

plural

caudillismos

1. a system of government by a caudillo.

2. a state or government in which a caudillo exercises absolute power.

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Etymology

Origin of caudillismo

First recorded in 1955–60; from Spanish; caudillo ( def. ) + suffix -ismo -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

But in the Latin American tradition of caudillismo, institutions are useful only if they serve the leader.

From The Wall Street Journal

Two interconnected problems have confronted Latin American writers since the end of European colonialism — the often malign influence of the United States and the system of rule by authoritarian strongmen known as caudillismo.

From New York Times

When I asked who was in charge of the Civic Alliance, Alemán said, “There isn’t a leader, out of fear of succumbing to caudillismo”—rule by strongman.

From The New Yorker

Once President Trump inevitably declares that he alone expresses the popular will, Americans will find that they have traded the rule of law for a version of caudillismo.

From The Guardian

That left 18 words for Vanya and Gokul before the final two: bouquetière, caudillismo, thamakau, scytale, tantieme, cypseline, urgrund, filicite, myrmotherine, sprachgefuhl, zimocca, nixtamal, hippocrepiform, paroemiology, scacchite, pipsissewa, Bruxellois and pyrrhuloxia.

From US News