Inca

American  

[ing-kuh] / ˈɪŋ kə /

noun

1. a member of any of the dominant groups of South American Indian peoples who established an empire in Peru prior to the Spanish conquest.

2. a ruler or member of the royal family in the Incan empire.

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Inca British  

/ ˈɪŋkə /

noun

1. a member of a South American Indian people whose great empire centred on Peru lasted from about 1100 _ad to the Spanish conquest in the early 1530s and is famed for its complex culture

2. the ruler or king of this empire or any member of his family

3. the language of the Incas See also Quechua

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Other Word Forms

• Incaic adjective
• Incan noun
• pseudo-Incan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Inca

1585–95; < Spanish < Quechua inka ruler of the Inca state

Example Sentences

Maize held enormous cultural importance for the Inca and was used to make ceremonial fermented beer called 'chicha'.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

Rail agency Ferrocarril Transandino said a train operated by PeruRail collided with another belonging to Inca Rail around lunchtime on the single track that links the town of Ollantaytambo with Machu Picchu.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

Machu Picchu, the remains of a 15th Century Inca city, is Peru's most popular tourist destination, and a Unesco world heritage site.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

It sits between two Inca administrative centers and near a crossroads of pre-Hispanic roads.

From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2025

Spain possessed it, while the Inca Empire did not.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond