caudillo

American  

[kaw-deel-yoh, -dee-oh, kou-thee-lyaw, -thee-yaw] / kɔˈdil yoʊ, -ˈdi oʊ, kaʊˈði lyɔ, -ˈði yɔ /

noun

plural

caudillos

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

---

caudillo British  

/ kɔːˈdiːljəʊ, kauˈðiʎo /

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of caudillo

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

Explanation

A Spanish warlord or powerful military leader is known as a caudillo. Usually, a caudillo exerts complete control over the country's armed forces. The term caudillo, which is used in Spain and Latin America, comes from the Latin caput, or "head." The most well-known caudillo in history was one who proudly assumed the title, though it's often used in a derogatory way. During the Spanish Civil War, Spain's General Francisco Franco began calling himself caudillo, inspired by the German Führer and Italian Duce, both titles for authoritarian military rulers.

Example Sentences

Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde—Gen. Franco to you and me; Caudillo de España, or chieftain of Spain, to his countrymen—died on Nov. 20, 1975.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Rogelio Caudillo, general manager of the Eastern Tule groundwater agency, urged the state board to delay putting the area on probation.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2024

Patricia Silva Caudillo, 46, went to a dusty cemetery on the eastern edge of the city to bury her husband, construction worker Pedro Capilla, 51.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 25, 2021

Ms. Caudillo Tolento, 32, said the recent death of her grandmother — whose last few months were defined by isolation — pushed her to embrace the opportunity to gather as family.

From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2020

So the Caudillo got sore and he called his Ambassador home.

From The Five Arrows by Chase, Allan