caudillo

[ kaw-deel-yoh, -dee-oh; Spanish kou-th ee-lyaw, -th ee-yaw ]

/ kɔˈdil yoʊ, -ˈdi oʊ; Spanish kaʊˈði lyɔ, -ˈði yɔ /

noun, plural cau·dil·los [kaw-deel-yohz, -dee-ohz; Spanish kaw-th ee-lyaws, -th ee-yaws] /kɔˈdil yoʊz, -ˈdi oʊz; Spanish kɔˈði lyɔs, -ˈði yɔs/.

(in Spanish-speaking countries) a head of state, especially a military dictator.

Words nearby caudillo

caudate nucleus, caudate process, caudatum, caudex, caudillismo, caudillo, caudine forks, caudle, caudle cup, caught, caught dead, wouldn't be

Origin of caudillo

1850–55; < Spanish < Late Latin capitellum, equivalent to Latin capit- (stem of caput) head + -ellum diminutive suffix; see -elle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for caudillo

Like Assange, Snowden is a tempting piece on the Ecuadoran caudillo's geopolitical game board.
Ecuador Needs U.S. Aid. Will They Risk It All with Snowden?|Mac Margolis|June 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Though Urquiza was a caudillo he had no such ambition for supreme power as plagued Rosas.
The South American Republics Part I of II|Thomas C. Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for caudillo

caudillo

/ (kɔːˈdiːljəʊ, Spanish kauˈðiʎo) /

noun plural -los (-jəʊz, Spanish -ʎos)

(in Spanish-speaking countries) a military or political leader

Word Origin for caudillo

Spanish, from Late Latin capitellum, diminutive of Latin caput head

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012