hidalgo
noun
a man of the lower nobility in Spain.
hidalgo
1 American
[hi-dal-goh, ee-thahl-gaw]
/ hɪˈdæl goʊ, iˈðɑl gɔ /
noun
hidalgos
plural
-
a man of the lower nobility in Spain.
-
(in Spanish America) a man who owns considerable property or is otherwise esteemed.
Hidalgo
2
American
[hi-dal-goh, ee-thahl-gaw]
/ hɪˈdæl goʊ, iˈðɑl gɔ /
noun
-
Juan c1600–85, Spanish composer and harpist.
-
a state in central Mexico. 8,057 sq. mi. (20,870 sq. km). Pachuca.
Hidalgo
1
British
/ hɪˈdælɡəʊ, iˈðalɣo /
noun
hidalgo
2
British
/ hɪˈdælɡəʊ, iˈðalɣo /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hidalgo
1585–95; < Spanish, contraction of hijo dalgo, Old Spanish fijo dalgo a noble, a person with property, a son with something < Latin filius son + dē from + aliquō something
Explanation
In Spanish and Portuguese history, a hidalgo was a member of the nobility. Hidalgos were born into their positions, which gave them certain privileges in society, like not having to pay taxes. Hidalgo comes from the Spanish hijo de algo, "a person born into wealth," or literally, "son of something." The 12th-century hidalgo class was considered "lesser nobility," or lower in rank than many other noblemen. It wasn't common for a hidalgo to own land. Still, they enjoyed many benefits of their inherited place in society, including the right to bear arms and be exempt from taxation.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Still, he regularly returned to his masked hidalgo.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 10, 2019
Today life makes such demands on man that the noble hidalgo Don Juan is to be seen nowhere save in the theater.
From Time Magazine Archive
In that piece an old Spanish hidalgo in New Mexico in 1847 detects in his son democratic tendencies.
From Time Magazine Archive
Suddenly a passing hidalgo pushed against the King.
From The Story of Seville by Hartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)
She is the home of the hidalgo and home of the strongest existing democracy between man and man, only equaled by early Rome.
From Heroic Spain by O'Reilly, Elizabeth Boyle
Father Hidalgo, the priest who raised the cry of independence in 1810, demanded that slave owners free the enslaved at once, “grant them the necessary freedom documents,” or risk the death penalty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Pasties are very much part of matchdays in Hidalgo, although the Mexican versions traditionally contain beef and vegetables, like their Cornish counterpart, but with added chilli.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
The first reference on record to Cornish miners playing sport in Hidalgo is actually about cricket.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame: The ACC player of the year leads the nation with 5.4 steals per game and is known as one of the dynamic playmakers in the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
But the history Mom was talking about was totally different than the history Mrs. Hidalgo was talking about.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Spanish taximen are men of honor, proud as hidalgos, and members of a Socialist union.
From Time Magazine Archive
The roars of shirtless .peons and the cheers of hidalgos forgetful of their dignity drowned his Majesty's words in praise of General Primo de Rivera, "the Conqueror of Ajdir."
From Time Magazine Archive
They found there already grown old in the hands of the Spaniards younger sons of hidalgos and many of them of the proudest blood of Spain.
From Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror by Linthicum, Richard
It is the same with me; the hidalgos have faith in me, and therefore believe I am the only man in Compostella that can shave them, although there are many other barbers.
From Tales from the Lands of Nuts and Grapes Spanish and Portuguese Folklore by Various
We detected none of the touchy sensitiveness of the punctilious Spanish hidalgos.
From The Andes and the Amazon Across the Continent of South America by Orton, James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
